Spy Girls
by khay
Summary: *crackfic* Ran, Kazuha, and Sonoko are up to something, Heiji and Kudo go insane trying to figure out what it is.
1. Phonecalls

Standard Disclaimers apply.

A/N:

This is the result of watching too much of MTV's Spy Groove and Disney Channel's Totally Spies. 

Please tell me what you think and whether or not I should continue this…

Thanks.

Chapter 1

Phone Calls

          Mouri Ran furiously ruffled through her duffel bag on the floor. Finding her towel, she wiped her face clean of sweat. Then, she hung the towel on her shoulders and returned to the punching bag in the middle of the room.

          "Stupid guy," she said as her body adopted an offensive stance. "He can't just keep calling and hanging up on me. Just what is he up to, anyway? It's been long enough, too long in fact."

          "I don't know why you're being such a martyr in waiting for him, Ran," Sonoko said. "I mean, I noticed a lot of guys hovering around you, obviously interested, and yet, you ignore them,"

          "And I'd just bet that if you suddenly get yourself a new boyfriend, Kudo-kun will be back faster than you can say Great Detective of the East." Kazuha added, her voice dancing in amusement.

"Kyaa!" Ran shouted as she punched the bag with all her might. Jab. Jab. Kick. Jab. "Men!" She muttered as she kicked. 

          "Oh, Ran, leave the poor punching bag alone," Kazuha laughed.

          "I think she pasted a picture of Shinichi on it, just to inspire her on her karate practice better." Sonoko told the Osaka girl.

          "Hmp!" Rand grimaced as she threw a combination of kicks and jabs on the punching bag. "Well, anyway, Sonoko and I'll be in Osaka tomorrow morning, Kazuha." She said, changing the topic. The Shinichi subject was obviously closed.

          "And I'll be in my new outfit," Sonoko agreed excitedly. "Wonder how many members of the opposite sex will swoon over my _new look_."

          Kazuha and Ran laughed.

          "Just make sure that Hattori-kun won't be there," Sonoko told her. "It'll be just us, girls. You know how annoying guys can be."

          "Ran-neechan?" A tentative, childish voice joined in the conversation. "Who are you talking to?" Edogawa Conan walked in the Mouri basement, which was currently serving as Ran's practice room for karate. He looked around and saw that the room was empty save for Ran, the punching bag, an old couch, and Ran's bag.

          Conan saw Ran quickly touch her earlobe.

          "Oh, no one, Conan-kun, just talking to myself." Ran told him as she ceased her karate punches to face the little boy. She gave him a smile.

          Conan shrugged. "Uncle Kogoro wanted to ask what time will you be serving dinner."

          "Oh, is it that late already?" Ran's eyes "widened. "I lost track of time. Go ahead upstairs, Conan-kun, and I'll be right up. I'll just clean up here."

          Conan nodded. "Alright Ran-neechan." He agreed as he walked and closed the door behind him.

          Ran touched her ears again, this time to activate her earphone. 

          "I'll ditch Heiji tomorrow, Ran-chan, but only if you promise not to bring Conan-kun!" Kazuha laughed over the phone.

          "Hello, Mouri Detec—" 

          "Kudo!" 

          Conan frowned as he heard Hattori's voice scream at him from the other end of the phone line. "Don't scream at me, Hattori, I can hear just fine!" He snapped. He was thankful that the Great Detective Mouri Kogoro was snoozing on the couch, out cold. The man had really taken advantage of Ran's absence and had drunk himself to a stupor while watching videos of his favorite star.

          "Do you know that Ran is here today?" Hattori demanded.

          "In Osaka?" Conan's eyes narrowed. "But she told me and her dad that she will be shopping with Sonoko today after class, that's why I didn't tag along," shuddering as memories of past shopping trips with Sonoko and Ran run through his mind.

          "She's here." Hattori said grimly. "With Kazuha. On a date."

          "On a date??" Conan choked out. "She and Kazuha-san are dating?" Conan realized that this isn't the first time Ran had lied about where she would be going to ditch both him and her father. 

          "Baka!" Hattori grumbled. "They're on a double date! I saw the two of them in a café with two guys!"

          "Calm down, Hattori, and tell me what happened."

          Hattori's eyes narrowed as he saw Kazuha look around as she slyly exited their classroom. _Now where is she going?_

          Hattori decided to follow her. 

          Kazuha had been acting really weird lately. She was always going off on her own, leaving him behind. And when he decides to tag-along, she would always disappear for hours, and then reappear, acting as if nothing had happened. 

          She had asked him not to walk her to school anymore because she had things to take care of in the morning. And then there would be days when without warning, she just wouldn't show up. Once, when he dropped by her house so that they could go to school together, he had a feeling that she really didn't intend to go to school. She only did because he was there. And surely enough, she had disappeared in the afternoon. 

          And usually, after school, the two of them would head to the police station to go and check in their help was needed in solving cases, but she's frequently disappearing in the afternoon, too.

          And so this particular afternoon, he decided to follow her, murder case or no.

          After fifteen minutes of walking, he saw Kazuha enter a coffee shop. He frowned. He didn't know Kazuha liked caffeine that much. He then positioned himself outside so that he could see Kazuha inside. He wanted to go in, but that would risk her knowing that he was shadowing her.

          It was obvious that Kazuha was waiting for someone, the way she kept checking her watch every few seconds.

          And true enough, after ten minutes of waiting, Mouri Ran walked in the café. Normally, he would have exhaled in relief knowing that Kazuha was only running off to do _girl stuff_, stuff that she couldn't do with him. _Normally_.

          Then, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. If Ran was Kazuha's partner in crime, does that mean that Kudo's girlfriend commutes everyday to Osaka? Doesn't she have school or something? And then, to complicate matters, two men were walking alongside Ran.

          Heiji cursed the position he was in. He wasn't able to hear their conversation. He, however, saw the smaller of the two guys sit down beside Kazuha while Ran and the other guy sat at the chairs opposite.

          _A double date_.

          Kazuha looked around. She was a few minutes early, but that was fine.

          "Kazuha-chan!" Ran's excited voice called out. 

          Kazuha stood up as she saw Ran and the two men walking behind her. She grinned conspiratorially at Ran. "Mito Hajime, I presume?"

          The shorter of the two guys scratched his blond head. Then, he gave her a smile. "A pleasure, Toyama-san."

          Kazuha then stared at the taller man. "Good afternoon, boss," she greeted him.

          The tall guy blushed. "Don't call me that," he muttered as the four of them sat down.

          Ran giggled. "What do you want us to call you, then?" She asked with a manic grin.

          The blond guy, Mito, nodded. "I don't think you want to be called by your real name, right?"

          "I know!" Kazuha exclaimed. "How about we call you 'Charlie?'"

          "C-Charlie?" The tall guy choked out.

          Ran nodded excitedly. "And we could be your angels!"

          The tall man sighed in defeat. Serves him right to decide to work with high school students. 

"Kudo!" Heiji screamed over the phone. "Oi! Kudo! Are you still there?" He demanded.

          "Are you sure it's Ran you saw?" Kudo finally choked out. 

          "Sure, I'm—" but Heiji's reply was cut off by Kudo.

          "Ohayo, Ran-neechan!" Kudo had greeted cheerfully. His voice had gotten softer, as if the phone was taken away from his mouth. "How was the mall? That's a lot of stuff you brought home!"

          Heiji could hear Ran's muffled reply. "I bought something for you, Conan-kun." Ran had said. "Oh, who are you talking with?"

          "Genta." Conan said. "He was asking about the assignment."

          Then, Heiji heard Conan's voice grow louder. "It's on page 27, Genta. Next time write your homework legibly. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he hung up.

          Heiji cursed the phone and Conan, though both didn't do anything to incur his wrath. 

          Then he stopped. Why was he acting this way anyway? It wasn't as if Kazuha's love life was his business. But—

          He groaned. He better stop now. He didn't like the direction his train of thoughts was going.

          Conan absentmindedly fingered the shirt Ran had given him. If Hattori was correct that Ran was in Osaka, then how on earth was she able to buy all of those stuff she brought home. And he had checked the price tags. Everything was bought in the local mall dated that day. Either Hattori was mistaken, or Ran had someone else do her shopping for her. But that was silly. Why would she go to such extreme lengths just to hide her double date? And where would she find the means?

          Conan's head was throbbing. And he was utterly confused.

"Mouri Detective Agency," Edogawa Conan answered the phone, half-asleep. He wondered who could be calling them at six AM on a Sunday morning. And the fact that he didn't have any sleep the night before didn't help matters neither.

"May I speak with Mouri Ran, please?" 

Conan's eyes narrowed as his mind immediately sharpened, pushing back the cobwebs of sleep that muddled it a few moments before. The person on the other line was a _guy_.

"May I know who's speaking?" Conan asked politely, but deep inside, he wanted to ask the guy a _few_ pointed questions. *Who are you? What do you want from Ran? Why are you calling this early? And were you with Ran yesterday when she went to Osaka?*

"Please tell her that this is Miyagi Ken," came the reply.

Conan almost dropped the phone. Miyagi Ken. Conan thought that the other guy had fallen in a black hole somewhere, never to return…

"I'm sorry, but Ran-neechan is still sleeping," Conan replied truthfully.

"Still sleeping?" Miyagi repeated. "Er, OK. I'll just call back later,"

With that, they hung up.

Conan was fuming as he walked back to his room. Miyagi Ken. He's back…

"Ran," thirteen-year old boy had called out as he ran towards the girl he was calling who was a few feet before him.

Shinichi and Ran, who were walking to the ice cream shop together had stopped and turned around.

"Ken-kun!" 

Shinichi saw Ran's face broke into a wide grin as she waited for the boy to catch up with them.

"Ran, I have something for you," Ken said when he finally reached the girl, panting. His right hand, which was hidden behind his back the whole time, was suddenly thrust forward.

"Roses!" Ran cried in delight as she reached for the three long-stemmed flowers with a blush. "Thank you, Ken-kun,"

"What are those for?" Twelve-year old Shinichi demanded.

          "Kudo, you don't know anything," Miyagi Ken sighed in exasperation. "Men are supposed to give roses to the girls they like." He said matter-of-factly. "And because she accepted the roses I gave her, Ran is now my girlfriend," he announced proudly.

          "What?" Shinichi spluttered. He then reached for the roses Ran was holding. He took them and handed them back to Ken. "Ran is not _your_ girlfriend, Miyagi," he growled. "Ran doesn't have time for mush like that,"

          "Kudo, you're just jealous," Miyagi had replied as he tried to give Ran back the roses.

          Shinichi stood between them. "Am not!"

          "Are too!"

          "Am not!"

          "Are too!"

          "Am not!"

          "Boys," Ran groaned in frustration.

          "Hello?" Ran greeted sleepily. It was eleven thirty in the evening and she had just gone to bed when the phone started ringing. 

          "Ran, I need Sonoko for tomorrow night." 

          Ran was immediately alert. "Alright," there was no need for the voice to introduce himself. She already knew who it was. "That can be arranged."

          "In front of the bookstore in the park, right before it closes." The man on the other line instructed. "And you're to watch. The goods that are to change hands tomorrow night are high-profile. There are people watching."

          "I understand." Ran replied.

          "I'll send the information folder tomorrow for more details." With that, the caller hung up.

          Ran replaced the phone in its cradle. 

          "Ran-neechan, who was that?" A sleepy Conan asked as he stepped out of his room, rubbing his eyes.

          "It was a wrong number, Conan-kun." Ran told him with a smile. "Anyway, I'm off to bed now, good night."

          "Good night," Conan replied. His sleepy look was immediately replaced by a sharp one the moment Ran closed her door. He had heard enough to know that it was not a wrong number.

          He wondered what Ran was hiding from him…

          "What's in the envelope, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked as he pointed to the brown manila folder Ran was carrying.

          "My essay for history," she replied. "Come on, Conan-kun. Hurry or we'll be late to class." 

          Conan nodded as he drank the last of his milk and followed Ran to the door.

          The two called out their good-byes to Mouri-san and made their way outside.

          "It's such a beautiful day, ne, Conan-kun?" Ran asked with a bright smile.  
          Conan nodded. He walked beside Ran, trying to read her face. She's hiding something, but he doesn't know what.

          "Oh, wait up, Conan-kun, I'll have to tie my laces," Ran said as she placed the manila envelop she was holding on the cement as she bent down to tie her laces.

          Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the envelop away.

          "I'll get it!" Conan exclaimed as he ran after the envelop. 

          "Got it!" A man had grabbed it before Conan could reach it.

          "Thanks, mister!" Conan said cutely as he tried to reach for the envelop.

          But the man held it just above the little boy's reach. "Is this yours?" The man asked with a twinkle in his eyes as his free hand ruffled Conan's hair affectionately.

          "Ah!" Conan protested as he twisted this way and that to move out of the man's reach. And out of the corner of his eye, Conan saw the man discreetly switch Ran's envelop with one of his own.

          "Thank you for catching my envelope." Ran had said as he bowed down to the man.

          "No problem," the man smiled as he spared Conan from his grasp and handed the envelop to Ran. "Anything for a pretty lady," with that, he waved and began walking away.

          Conan tried to smooth his hair as he shot daggers at the man's retreating back. Then, he remembered the switch the man made. "Ran-neechan, that man took your envelope and switched it with one of his own."

          "What?" Ran gasped. "What are you talking about, Conan-kun?" She frowned. "This envelope is mine," she said as she inspected it. "See, it even has my name on it," she said as she showed Conan her name on the side.

          Conan frowned. He could've sworn that—

          "Let's go to school, Conan-kun!" Ran suddenly exclaimed as she took his hand in hers and led him away.

          Conan yelped and all thoughts about the envelope switching disappeared from his mind as he tried to keep up with Ran's long strides.

TBC

A/N:

The next chapter would contain the first "mission." Sorry if this chapter sucked, but I'm still trying to lay-out a few essential things, like who's "in" the secret and who's not.

I just thought that if the guys can have fun running around Japan as detectives, why can't the girls have their kind of fun, too? 

So, leave me a note, you guys know what to do…


	2. Mission Impossible

Standard disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 2:**

**Mission Impossible**

          The plan hatched itself in Conan's brain during Math class. His curiosity was beginning to eat at him. He _needed_ to know just what Ran was up to. Him and Hattori both. And he wanted to know exactly how Miyagi fits into the picture.

          Miyagi's sudden appearance seems to be too coincidental. He appeared during a period in time when Ran kept lying about her whereabouts. And Conan have his suspicions that Miyagi was the other man Ran and Kazuha were with when the former was in Osaka.

          So he decided to ride his skateboard to Ran's school and follow her, just to make sure that she isn't doing something _objectionable_. Like date Miyagi behind his and her father's back.

          However, thirty minutes after dismissal time, no Ran came out. After forty-five minutes, it was a lonesome Sonoko who walked out of the school gates.

          And so, Conan decided to follow _her_, hoping that the blond would lead him to Ran.

          Sonoko kept checking her watch for the time while walking. As if she was meeting someone who abhors latecomers.

          Then, Sonoko stopped just outside a ramen house.

          Conan waited to see if she's going to go inside.

          Suddenly, Sonoko's cell phone rang, startling both the child detective and his prey.

          Conan mused, Sonoko was acting strange, like she was nervous about something.

          "Hello?" Sonoko tentatively answered her phone. Sonoko nodded her head and started looking around.

          Conan wondered what she was looking for.

          "Found it!" Sonoko exclaimed triumphantly. She then folded her phone and slipped it back in her pocket. Then, she walked to a nearby bench and reached beneath it. 

          Conan saw that Sonoko now held a blue paper bag. 

          Sonoko didn't even look at whatever's inside it. She just took it and left.

          Conan followed her. _This is getting stranger and stranger_.

          After five minutes, Conan found himself walking in a deserted street in the wrong part of town. He began to get nervous. He didn't think Sonoko knows what she's doing.

          "Hello, Sweetie," a big, menacing voice suddenly boomed.

          Sonoko let out a small 'eep.'

          She was now surrounded by four big, and obviously intoxicated men.

          "What cha got der?" The largest and meanest looking of the group asked.

          "N-nothing," Sonoko gasped as she began backing into a corner.

          Conan's eyes narrowed as he crouched down and began adjusting his shoes. 

          But before he could react, a figure hurled itself towards the group of men.

          "What da—" one of them exclaimed.

          Conan saw that a man had placed himself between Sonoko and the men. However, Conan can't see the man's face as he was wearing a hood over his head.

          "Looks like someone wants to join in our fun," one of the bullies snarled, obviously not intimidated as the Sonoko's savior was slender and undersized compared to them.

            One of the men attacked, only to be dodged and hit by Sonoko's hero on the back. 

          Conan gasped as one simple attack from the smaller man rendered the bigger man unconscious.

          The three then attacked at the same time.

          Sonoko screamed as her hero pushed her out of the way and sent her sprawling to the ground.

          The smaller man bent backwards as to duck out a burly man's swings. He then gave a kick that connected at one unlucky guy's head that rendered the latter unconscious.

          Two down, two to go.

          "Why you—" the biggest of the bullies lunged at the man with his fist.

          However, the man simply caught the larger guy's fist in his hand. Then, the smaller man's knees met with the larger man's stomach. The man doubled over in pain.

          Sonoko's savior now turned to the last able person in the group.

          But upon seeing his companions' fate, he ran away with his tail between his legs.

          The man now extended a hand for Sonoko.

          Sonoko looked at him and tried to smile. "Thanks," she whispered as she took the hand and slowly stood up. 

          The man shrugged and turned to walk away.

          Conan was stunned. That guy was good. Just who was he and how did he fit in into all of these?

          "Ran-neechan, I'm home!" Conan announced. After seeing Sonoko safely home, he immediately headed to the agency, knowing well that Ran would be mad if he got home too late.

          "She's with Sonoko." Kogoro Mouri called to him in irritation. "She left sandwiches in the fridge."

          _Sonoko?_ Conan frowned. But he had just left Sonoko with no traces of Ran.

          Something was definitely amiss.

          "Good morning girls," 

          "Good morning, Charlie!" Ran and Sonoko chorused as the two lounged in Sonoko's bed.

          The man in the screen got all red. "Don't call me that!" He grumbled.

          Ran and Sonoko giggled.

          The contents on the blue bag Sonoko got earlier were spread on her bed. A video phone that they were now using to call their _boss_, a laptop, and ring.

          Sonoko tried on the ring on her finger. "I can't believe that I almost got mugged for this." She grumbled. "And I don't know why you had to hide behind that hood of yours," she said as she tugged on the hood of the jacket Ran was wearing.

          Ran's eyes became troubled. "I saw Conan following you," she admitted.

          "Conan?" Charlie, the man in the video phone frowned. "The small boy who's living with you?"

          Ran nodded. "I saw him following Sonoko from school." Ran shrugged. "He wants to be a detective, I guess. And he's sharp, and way smart. He probably noticed that I'm keeping something from him."

          "I guess I better keep an eye on him," Charlie said thoughtfully.

          "So, what's up for tonight? I told my dad that I'm here and dinner's all set and ready." Suddenly, Ran slapped her forehead and groaned. 

          "What?" Sonoko asked.

          "Conan!" Ran replied. "He knows that I'm not with you," 

          Charlie frowned. "He's just a kid. Can't you lie around him or something?"

          Ran shook her head. "I told you he's pretty sharp, for a kid. And I have my own suspicions about him."

          "And that's what you want to talk to me about, right?" Charlie asked.

          Ran nodded. "But that's for another day. First things first." She smiled. "Our mission tonight?"

          Charlie shook his head. "Postponed." He told them. 

          Sonoko and Ran groaned. 

          Charlie grinned. "That's what I like about you girls. Always ready for action. But you don't have to wait too long. The mission's moved to tomorrow."

          "Anyway, what happened to you yesterday afternoon after school?" Sonoko demanded.

          Conan's ears perked up. He was walking between Sonoko and Ran that afternoon in the local mall. He thought he saw Ran blush.

          "An old friend of mine appeared out of the blue," she said.

          "Was it Shinichi?" Sonoko needled her.

          Conan smiled mentally. If Ran said yes, then he would know that all of it was for his sake. Somehow they found out that Conan was following Sonoko and that he knew that the two girls weren't together the afternoon before.

          Ran shook her head. "Remember Miyagi Ken?" Ran asked shyly.

          Sonoko's eyes grew rounder. "You were with him?"

          Ran nodded.

          Conan seethed. _Miyagi Ken_.

          "He invited me for coffee and we kinda lost track of time," 

          "Ooh, you sly devil," Sonoko said. "But you wouldn't believe what happened to me yesterday. I met my hero! My prince charming! My knight-in-shining armor!" 

          Ran laughed as Sonoko proceeded to tell her what had happened.

          Then, the two girls stopped laughing as they found themselves before a jewelry shop.

          "Dare we go in?" Sonoko asked Ran.

          Ran laughed. "Let's!" She said as she dragged a protesting Conan in.

          Conan sulked in the corner of the store as he watched the two girls try on a piece of jewelry after the other. Shopping trips were a big bore to him, and trips to the jewelry store were pure torture.

          "Do you think he bought it?" Sonoko discreetly whispered to Ran. 

          Ran shrugged. "There's no reason why he shouldn't." She hissed back.

          "Oh, Ran, this is sooo cute!" Sonoko said loudly for the benefit of the sulking boy. She then slipped the ring she was holding into her finger. "Look, it fits me perfectly."

Conan watched as Sonoko tried on one ring after the other. 

          Then, the two girls did something that absolutely shocked him.

          He saw Sonoko pocket one of the rings that the saleslady showed her. Then, Ran took out another ring in place of the one Sonoko stole.

          Is that their secret, shoplifting?"

          "We got the ring you requested, Charlie," Ran told the man in the video. Ran had locked her room, mindful that she would have a lot of explaining to do if someone walked in on her conversation with Charlie.

          "Good, good," Charlie said. "But don't call me CHARLIE!"

          Ran laughed. "Relax, Charlie," she snickered. "Or my dad'll hear you."

          "How did the misdirection with Conan go?" Charlie asked.

          Ran shrugged. "I don't know. He was all quiet and sulky on our way home."

          "I see." Charlie absent-mindedly stroked his chin. 

          "Will I be bringing the ring to you?" 

          Charlie shook his head. "It's to be delivered in Osaka." 

          Ran grinned. "Alright! I get to see Kazuha-chan again,"

          "No, you won't." Charlie said. "This time I want Mito Hajime to deliver the ring," 

          "Can _his_ knight-in-shining-armor follow _him_ then?" Ran asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

          "Of course." Charlie replied. "I'll leave you three girls to figure out the details."

          "Anyway, about the favor I'm asking," Ran began, the laughter leaving her face.

          "I'm on it, Ran." Charlie said. "In fact, I think I'll pay you and your friends a little visit." 

          "I'm getting woozy," Mito admitted.

          "So am I," Kazuha said.

          Ran grinned as she watched the two of them hanging upside down. They were on the Yuko Manor, the home of a very rich politician and his wife. More precisely, they were on the ceiling of the politician's office, waiting for the remote instructions Ran was feeding them via earphones.

          "Try to hold it," Ran told them. "If your feet so much as touch the floor, Yuko's private army will swarm in there faster than you guys can blink."

          Kazuha grumbled something about if her father caught her like that…

          "Alright, just five more minutes while I try to crack the code," Ran said as her fingers typed the password on the laptop before her. She was in a vehicle outside the manor, trying to upload the facts Charlie was feeding her as fast as she can. 

          Actually, Kazuha was the better choice to do this than her. Of the three of them, Kazuha was the computer whiz. But it was Mito and Kazuha who were together when the urgent command came. Ran was still in Tokyo, unable to cut classes (since she had missed enough to earn the concern of her teachers, Saintemillion-sensei, especially). Yuko and his right-hand man were to go out of the country that night, now was their chance to try and crack open the forbidden vault in the office.

          So Ran was stuck outside while the two were inside.

          "Password, accepted," Ran grinned as the words blinked on her screen. "Guys, it's now safe to land on the floor."

          "About time," Mito grumbled as he almost fell to the floor. He groaned. "My legs had almost gone to sleep."

          Kazuha had gracefully landed on her feet. "Alright, where's the vault?"

          "Behind the bookshelf." Ran said.

          Mito peered behind the shelf. "I think it's bolted to the ground. Between the two of us, there's no way we can move this thing,"

          "It probably has a secret switch or something," Kazuha said as she began knocking on the books. Then, she tapped a set of books that sounded different from the others. "Got it!" She grinned as she pulled the faux set of books. Behind it was a wall safe.

          Mito slipped off the ring from his gloved fingers. "The key, madam,"

          "Thanks," Kazuha said as she placed the ring on the keyhole. A perfect fit.

          The safe opened. Inside were files and papers.

          "So we just take all of these?" Mito asked.

          "Yes," Ran replied. "And leave no trace."

A/N:

Aargh!  
  


Why do I feel that NOTHING happened in this chapter?

Feedback, people, that's all I'm asking. Thanks.

To bluedetective, yup. I watch Slam Dunk too. It's one of my faves; in fact, I liked it so much I watched it in three different languages. =) but I'm not familiar with Kim Possible. The Disney Channel was taken off our cable network before it was broadcasted. Oh, well…


	3. The Detectives

Standard disclaimer applies.

A/N: 

Thanks for the nice reviews, and also for those who reviewed _Butterfly Kisses_ and The _Case of the Wedding Jitters_ (insert shameless plugging here). You guys are the reason I continue to write. Btw, I'm also planning to repost _The Case…_ because when I posted it, I was quite green behind the ears and the format sucked. But I now know better, for better reading, wait for the repost. 

If you're a bit confused over what happened in chapter 2, please forgive me. It's been a while since I last wrote, my course in college usually requires me to read dry, straightforward cases, that's why my creative juices have been locked up under storage and it's taking a while for it to flow. Its been a year or so since I wrote creatively. All I'm writing before I entered ff.net are summaries of readings in school (boring!). 

Anyway, if you would go back to chapter 2, I gave a hint as to who the blond guy was in the café with Ran and Kazuha (when Ran and _Charlie _were talking on the video phone). I think it's rather obvious. And I also think Charlie's real identity is also evident, but if it's still not clear who he is, read on, and you'll catch on, eventually. The hooded guy who saved Sonoko was Ran, or am I now underestimating your intelligence? Sorry. It's just that, sometimes, it's really clear in my mind but I have trouble putting stuff into words. But please stick with me and I'll get the hang of it eventually.

OK, this message is starting to become as long as the fic itself, again, my apologies. 

**Chapter 3:**

**The Detectives **

          "Shoplifting?" 

          Conan nodded as he absentmindedly swung his legs to and fro from his perch on the bench. 

          Hattori had gone straight to Tokyo when Kazuha disappeared the day before. He had been hoping that Kudo would have more answers than he does. 

          The two were sitting on a bench in a park, exchanging and analyzing what little information they have.

          "I've known Kazuha my whole life, Kudo, she wouldn't do something like this!" Hattori snapped.

          "And you think that I don't know Ran as well as I should?" Conan's voice had snapped back but Hattori found himself staring into Kudo's fiery eyes. "And I know Sonoko just as well, and this came as a shock to me. If I didn't see it with my own eyes," Conan's voice trailed off. 

          "Just what is their game?" Hattori mumbled. "If it's just shoplifting, then why on earth would they need to go to Osaka for? Why would they need to drag Kazuha into this?"

          Conan glared at Hattori. Sometimes, actually most of the time, there seems to be no barrier between his mouth and his brain, causing the Great Detective of the West to blurt out what he's thinking and often times causing him no small amount of trouble.

          "What makes you think that Ran and Sonoko are doing the dragging?" Conan demanded.

          Hattori had the grace to blush. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Didn't mean it that way,"

          Conan sighed. They were getting nowhere. "Just what are they up to?"

          "Where does that Suzuki girl fit in?" Hattori asked. "She wasn't there when I saw Ran and Kazuha in the coffee shop."

          Conan shrugged. "I don't know yet," he admitted. "But she is Ran's best friend and she would cover for Ran if the need arises. Though I can't prove it yet, I have this feeling that whatever's going on, Sonoko's right smack in the middle of it."

"Hey, where's Ran and Sonoko today?" Hattori suddenly asked.

          "Home," Conan grumbled. "We all walked home together, just like we used to do before they started acting weird. And Sonoko and Ran were doing their homework in the living room when you called me to go here."

          "Kazuha's home too." Hattori said. "That idiot. I called her house after I called you and I almost dropped the phone in surprise. It's been a while since she's last stayed home after class. Then we got into a fight since she's asking me where I was and I wouldn't tell her." Hattori sighed. At least that was familiar. It was often _her_ who asked where _he _was and _she_ who didn't get a straight answer. Now it was the other way around. And now he felt what Kazuha often feels when he leaves her behind (for her own protection, of course). No wonder Kazuha wanted to pummel him whenever he gives her a cryptic answer to his whereabouts. 

          Conan shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs away. As much as he hated to admit it, he was stuck. 

          "Kazuha got a new laptop yesterday." Hattori suddenly brought up. "The weirdest thing is, she was sort of hiding it from me, like she didn't want me to see it or something,"

          Hattori was patiently (more or less) waited for Kazuha to come home yesterday. He had stationed himself on the Toyama front door. Kazuha arrived late, but before her father. Two bags were slung around her shoulder, her school bag and a black, rectangle-shaped bag. Hattori recognized it as the carry-case of a laptop. 

          _"I see you bought yourself a portable computer," Hattori commented as he stood from his slouch and approached the girl. He swallowed the hurt he was feeling that Kazuha didn't even consult him on her choice of computers._

_          Kazuha was visible startled. "Ahou!" She shouted when she recovered. "What are you trying to do, scaring me like that?"_

_          "Ahou! I was not trying to scare you," he grumbled. "If you would look around, you'd see that I was right here all along!"_

_          Kazuha glared at him as she unlocked their front door. "Ahou! It was dark and I couldn't see you. You should've cleared your throat or something to indicate your presence."_

          Hattori followed his friend in the house, his earlier accusation about the portable computer forgotten, loosing himself in the familiar banter that they haven't done in the longest time.

          "A laptop?" Conan's eyes narrowed. "I overheard Ran saying that Sonoko got one too. Does Kazuha have a video phone?"

          Hattori frowned. "I've no idea," he admitted. "But I can find out. Why?"

          "Ran has one." Conan replied. "In her room. Hidden in her closet."

          "You searched your girlfriend's room?" Hattori asked incredulously.

          "She's not my girlfriend!" Conan snapped as he reddened.

Hattori suddenly clutched Conan's arm. "Kudo!" He hissed. "That's the guy! That's the guy who was with Ran when she met Kazuha for coffee."

          A short, blond man walked a few meters from them.

          "Let's follow him." Hattori said as he jumped to his feet.

          Conan groaned inwardly. He was a detective, not some spy. And for the second time that week, he found himself tailing an unsuspecting person.

          "So did they follow you?" Kazuha asked as she huddled with the videophone in her closet. It was quite dark and stuffy, but she didn't want to lock her bedroom door because that would be too suspicious. 

          Mito Hajime nodded. "Yes," he said. "But I lost them after half an hour or so. Those trainings Charlie had been giving are really effective, you know."

          "But it's your first time here in Tokyo, Hajime-kun," Ran's voice argued on the background. A minute later, she had squeezed herself next to Mito on the screen. "Hi, Kazuha-chan!" She greeted cheerfully.

          "Ran-chan," Kazuha greeted her. "That means Heiji saw the four of us here in Osaka when we went for coffee."

          Mito nodded. "No wonder Conan was suspicious. Hattori-kun was probably jealous so he called up Conan asking who the two men with Ran were," he said mischievously. 

          "Ahou!" Kazuha called out. "He's just being overprotective and overbearing. That idiot," Kazuha grumbled. "He just can't stand to be left behind. Always sticking his nose in other people's business." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ran and Mito elbowing each other knowingly. Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Anyway," she said before the two can comment. "We have to be extra careful. We don't want them to find out what we're doing. The less people involved, the better."

          Ran grinned. "My father would just kill me if he finds out what I'm doing." She said mirthfully.

          "And who's to know what Shinichi-kun would do," Mito added.

          "Hey!" Ran protested. "Why is his name being dragged into this conversation?" She turned to look at Mito.

          Mito looked back innocently at her. "He's your _boyfriend,_ that's why!"

          "He is not my boyfriend!" Ran denied as Mito and Kazuha laughed. 

          "Yeah, yeah," Kazuha muttered. Then, she heard footsteps outside her door. "Hey guys, I gotta go. I'll contact you ASAP."

          "'Kay," Mito and Ran chorused as the videophone got disconnected.

          "Ran-neechan?" Conan called.

          "Get in!" Ran squealed as she shoved Mito into _her_ closet. "I'm in my room, Conan-kun," she called back as she forced her closet door shut.

          "Ran-neechan, you've got a visitor!" Conan shouted. 

          Ran grinned. "It's Ken-kun." She told Mito.

          "Send him in then," came the reply.

          "Shut up," Ran told the closet. "Don't make a sound until I tell you it's safe to do so," with that, she walked out of the room.

          "Ran-chan!" Miyagi Ken stood up from the sofa as his face broke into a warm smile. "It's been a while."

          "Ken-kun!" Ran called with a laugh as she closed the distance between them. "Please sit down. Can I offer you something to drink?" 

          Miyagi shook his head. "I'm fine." He said as he sat down. 

          Ran also sat down, but Conan went between the two. 

          "Oh, by the way, Ken-kun, I'd like you to meet Edogawa Conan." Ran said. "Conan-kun's Shinichi's relative. Conan-kun, this is Miyagi Ken. Ken-kun's our, I mean my and Schinichi's, schoolmate way back in grade school."

          Conan trained his eyes on Miyagi. Outwardly, his eyes reflected curiosity and intelligence. But behind the façade, he was assessing the other man throroughly. _Tall, dark hair, medium built, late teens. He could possibly the other man with Ran and Kazuha in the cafe Hattori was talking about_.

          Miyagi Ken met Conan's eyes. It was full of mischief and delight; however, Conan detected intense scrutiny behind the taller man's hazel eyes. Conan felt like an amoeba under a microscope.

          "Ken-kun, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Ran asked him.

          Miyagi grinned at her. "Just revisiting old friends, Ran-chan." He replied easily. "You know Conan-kun, you look exactly like Kudo when I saw him last, and I should know, I've got a photographic memory."

          Conan reddened. "Uh, we're…uh…that's because we're relatives, Miyagi-san,"

          "Call me Ken-niisan, Conan-kun. Any relative of Kudo is a friend of mine," Miyagi declared. "So, how exactly are you and Kudo related, Conan-kun?"

          Thankfully, the phone rang right after Miyagi's question. 

          "I'll get it!" Conan announced, a little too desperately as he immediately sprang up and almost ran to the phone. _Saved by the ring_, he thought to himself.

          "Hello?" He answered gratefully. His eyes narrowed when he turned around and saw Miyagi and Ran sitting _very_ close together on the couch, whispering towards each other.

          "Distract him Ken-kun," Ran told the elder guy in a hushed voice.

          "Why?" 

          Ran sighed exasperatedly. It's hard for a girl to ask favor these days. "Mito Hajime is _in_ my closet. He can't stay there the whole afternoon, you know."

          Miyagi grinned. "Can I see him, then?"

          "No!" Ran groaned. "Can you be easy for once and just do me this tiny favor?"

          Miyagi shrugged. "But how come if it's my turn to ask the favor, you give me a hard time?"

          "That's different," Ran announced. "It's almost dinnertime. Why don't you join us?" she said loudly, for the benefit of the little boy who just hung up. 

          Miyagi nodded.

"Who was it, Conan-kun?" Ran asked as Conan returned to the couch.

          "It's for Uncle Kogoro, but since he's not home, I just took a message." Conan replied.

          Ran beamed at him.   "Well done, Conan-kun. I'll be in the kitchen for a while to prepare our dinner. Make yourself at home, Ken-kun. Conan-kun, please entertain my guest." With that, she turned to the direction of the kitchen.      

          "So, Conan-kun, how are you and Shinichi related again?"

Conan grimaced. He'd rather be thrown into a snake pit.

          "What are you doing?" 

          Hattori almost jumped out of his skin at the voice. He turned around, knowing what he would see even before he saw it.

          Kazuha was leaning on the doorframe of her bedroom, her arms crossed. She was glaring at him. 

          He, on the other hand, was on his hands and knees, looking beneath Kazuha's bed.

She had just caught him red-handed.

"Ah, anou," he began, praying for inspiration. "I was…I was looking for your laptop, I was wondering where it went."

The two were doing their homework in Kazuha's house when Kazuha declared she needed a bathroom break. He then took the opportunity to look around her room. But he over-estimated the time his friend spends in the bathroom. 

"Uh-huh," Kazuha said. "You could've just asked me, ahou,"

Hattori glared at her. "Well, you were in the bathroom, ahou."

"Ahou!" Kazuha snapped. "Couldn't you wait for like five minutes max?"

"Ahou!" Hattori snapped back, but inside he was rejoicing. Looks like things were getting back to normal. "It always takes you forever to use the bathroom." He stuck out a tongue to her for good measure.

Conan collapsed on his bed. He was exhausted. Miyagi kept asking him pointed questions about both Conan and Shinichi. Conan tried to dance around the questions as best he could. He knew that one slip and Miyagi would've been all over him. He knew that Miyagi was sharp, and he knew something was up the moment he stepped into the room and saw Shinichi's _carbon copy_ who was only a _distant relative_. Then, he became even more suspicious to learn that Conan-kun was staying indefinitely with his Ran-neechan, because Shinichi-niisan had disappeared the day before he appeared.

And then, in between interrogations (or at least, that's what Conan felt like they were), Miyagi would shamelessly flirt with Ran, teasing her, making her blush…

All those things Shinichi used to do, but Conan cannot.

Conan groaned in frustration as he turned in his bed and vented his anger on his pillow. 

One day, he vowed, one day he would once again do those things, and possibly even more…

TBC…

PS. 

I gotta stop here. 

The next chapter's demanding to be written…

Hope you understood it. But if it's still making your head spin, ask in the review thingy, and I'll try to answer it in the next chapter.

By the way, the next chapter would contain the explanation of how the girls fell into their new job.

'Till then. =)


	4. Runners

Standard Disclaimer Applies

A/N:

Again, thanks to those who reviewed. 

Chapter 4: 

**The Runners**

"Well done, Miyagi-san,"

          Miyagi Ken looked at the large screen before him, though he knew it didn't matter. It always shows the same scene, a scene he had seen countless of times before.

          On the screen was a big desk in front of a fireplace. Behind the wooden desk was a chair of some sort, where a large tub of a man sat. However, he could only see the silhouette of the man. He had no face, no distinguishing characteristics. And even his voice was digitally altered. The only varying thing on the screen was that sometimes the fireplace was lighted, sometimes not, depending on the weather.

          The faceless and nameless man on the screen brought out a file. "You've read this?"

          Miyagi nodded. "It's the file my girls took out of Yuko Manor," he said. "It's about an organization so secret that nobody knows whether or not it truly exists."

          "Oh, it exists, alright," the man said with a laugh. "If the amount of blood and carnage that happened in Yuko Manor after _your girls_ happened are any indication, the Black Organization is as real as you and me." The man paused. "Or you, at least. For all you know, I might not even be a real person at all." He said wryly.

          Miyagi grinned at that. He had entertained thoughts that the man before him, the big shot of the organization he worked for, _his boss_, is nothing but a computer program. That behind him is a group of people, a company, who only does things for profit. It's for security, his co-workers had told him. That way if one of the many spies in the organization screws up, the blame won't be traced to the _real_ brains in the operation.

          "Step 2 in this operation would be quite dangerous, Miyagi-san." His boss said.

          "I know," Miyagi replied.

          "I would suggest you pull out your girls and assign this case with someone with much more experience," 

          Miyagi sighed. "But others have tried before, and failed. I think it's time for new blood."

          "But they're merely runners, Miyagi-san. The only things they've done so far are picking up equipments, passwords, and files from other runners. Do you think that they're ready for a case such as this?"

          Miyagi nodded. He anticipated for this to happen. He liked his new team. And he would fight tooth and nail for the case assigned to them. He knew that they were ready. After all, they have a good teacher—him. "I've been personally training them." He then took out a diskette and fed it to his computer. "Here are their files."

          The man downloaded it in his computer. "Mouri Ran," he read.

          Miyagi nodded. "The martial arts expert."

          "But being a karate champion in high school is a lot different in real life." 

          "She's better now. The greatest masters the organization could afford trained her. Her level's no longer in the high school level. She's a natural fighter. Plus, her mother was one of us in another lifetime. That's how I tapped into her. I read about Kisaki Eri's file. And I thought that if the daughter is half as good as her mother, then she's got it made."

          "And?"

          "I think that the daughter would far surpass that of the mother." Miyagi replied honestly. Imagine his surprise one day when he was cyber loafing in the organization's data banks, looking for the right crew for his next assignment when he stumbled upon a familiar name. _Kisaki Eri_. His childhood crush's mother. He wasted no time in contacting Mouri Ran and asking her if she's interested in training in martial arts. Of course she was. Of course he had more than martial arts in mind when he watched her train. He, and her senseis, all came to the same conclusion. The girl would go far in the martial arts arena. She could become an asset in the organization with her fighting skills, if nothing else. So she was recruited. Of course, the information about her mom was withheld. As far as she knows, her only connection with the organization was through Miyagi Ken, childhood sweetheart. Miyagi grinned wryly. Kudo would beat him up if he (Kudo) learns that he (Miyagi) refers to himself as Ran's childhood sweetheart, but that's for another assignment.

          The man on the screen nodded. "I'm familiar with Kisaki-san's works. Next, Suzuki Sonoko,"

          "Master of Disguise," he said. "Daughter of one of the richest man in Tokyo. That would provide us access in different functions with no hardships, no questions asked,"

          He remembered the day he _rediscovered_ Sonoko. At first, he remembered her as Ran's loud and giggly girl best friend (while Kudo was her boy best friend, and himself as her childhood sweetheart =P). He wasn't interested in her at first. But he followed Ran and Sonoko to a mall. At that time, he was still measuring Ran if she would be worthy of the organization. Imagine his surprise when the two girls started trying on clothes. Ran had sat down on a couch near the changing rooms. Sonoko would enter the room with an armful of clothes. After a minute or two, she would emerge in costume, striking different poses and imitating voices. She and Ran would burst out laughing. And then, Sonoko tried on men's clothing and started acting like a man, hitting on Ran. She was good, very good. With a little training Miyagi knew that she could rival even The Kid. At that time, Miyagi knew he found his crew number 2. 

          "And I assume you have already made use of her family's affluence in one of her assignments,"

          "Of course," Miyagi grinned smugly.

          "Next, Toyama Kazuha,"

          "The electronic expert." Miyagi said. "She's also the daughter of the Head of the Osaka City Police Department. Another connection that could prove useful for us."

          "And you think that she'd actually betray her father for the organization?"

          "Well, not exactly betray, sir." Miyagi grinned. "It's more of taking advantage,"

          Kazuha was the last person on board. Actually, he would prefer someone on a closer proximity, but he was stumped. He couldn't just invite anyone in the organization. But he also wanted someone that Ran and Sonoko could trust. After all, they would make a team, and he just didn't have time to build up rapport in his new crew.

          And then, the Great Detective of the West decided to drop by and check up on the Sleeping Detective with Toyama Kazuha in tow.

          At that time, Ran had just received her new toy, a palm top. However, something went wrong in its delivery and she simply cannot get it to work. Enter Kazuha-chan. Ran tried to hide the thing from her, but the Osaka girl had insisted. Shrugging and knowing that it was broken anyway, Ran allowed her friend to toy around with it. Imagine Ran's surprise when Kazuha was able to make it work. Now imagine her horror when Kazuha admitted that she accidentally opened the supposedly secret files in the palmtop (actually, it's still being debated upon whether or not it is accidental since the files are password-protected). She now knows that Ran and Sonoko are _runners_ for an international spy organization. The matter was immediately reported to Miyagi.

          Miyagi was impressed that Kazuha was able to fix the malfunctioning equipment. He was pleased to learn that she was also able to override the complex passwords. Kazuha-chan was recruited on the spot.

          "Very well, Miyagi." The man said. "It seems that you would stand behind your crew one hundred percent."

          "I am."

          "Then, since this matter was assigned to you, and you've proven yourself to be more than capable, I'm leaving it all in your hands."

          "Thank you, sir." 

          "And one more thing," the man said. "Try not to kill the girls, alright?"

          Miyagi grinned. "Yes, sir," with that, his boss signed off. Miyagi then typed something on his laptop. Three numbers were dialed simultaneously. His calls were picked up at almost exactly the same time. His screen was divided into three. "Good morning, angels," he greeted them.

          Three beautiful faces grinned up at him. "Good morning, Charlie!" They chorused.

TBC…

PS.

Now you know who Charlie is.

And I think you also know who really is Mito Hajime.

Sorry this is so short. But I want to post it ASAP to get reactions. My next log on isn't until the weekend. And I want to read some reviews before I continue.

Is it too juvenile? Is it too cliché? Please review. Thanks.


	5. On Her Own

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

A/N:

Hey, thanks for those who reviewed.

[Zian Shiory][1]: 

huh? Sorry, but I only got as far as Español dos, and that's years ago. I understood it a little bit, but a translation would be nice. Languages aren't really my _thing_. Thanks again.

Kazuha of silmelin@yahoo.fr: 

So sorry about that. 

About the ken-_neechan _thing, I know that it's only for elder females. It was a typo on my part. I finished chapters 3 and 4 in one day without a rough draft (I always write straight at the computer) and I was on a rush because I still have to review for my graded recitations for the following day. Plus, I don't have a beta reader (anyone out there interested?). OK, so I'm being a little defensive here =) (never did know how to take criticisms positively, oh, well).

As for the _baka_ thing, I didn't know that! Thanks. You really do learn something new each day =) 

But I suppose I can't stop using _some _Japanese words. There are no English translations of neechan or Nissan and some of the other Japanese honorifics. In fact, even small children in the West can call their elders by their first name.

Rest assured that your corrections were duly noted and immediately amended.

And no, I'm not angry. =) In fact, I think I owe you one. Hope to hear from you again (if only to correct my mistakes, I only know Jap words from the net and from this guy at school…but I think I'm starting to annoy him just a little bit with all of my questions (",) .)

Thanks for the review!

Jay Kamiya:

Well, I think they'd do just that, eventually. But I can't tell you exactly what happened. =)

Sherry4869:

I'll do just that. Hope you enjoy this installment.

Ann:

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't know when the next chapter (the one after this is due) would be out. I'm in college (post graduate, actually) and we have graded recitations **everyday. **So I can only write when I have time. I can't be regular coz I have to prioritize my studies (blech!).

Blue detective:

Nope, I'm not from Malaysia but I am from SEAsia. Pardon my ignorance, but what's an astro? 

**Chapter 5:**

**On Her Own**

          Kazuha took a deep, calming breath before entering the opened doors before her. A large, beefy man glanced at her suspiciously before stepping aside to let her in. The place was dark, and it took a while before her eyes adjusted. Loud, pounding music blared from the inside. Kazuha tried to keep herself from wincing as the noise got louder. The first thing she noticed when she stepped inside was the sheer number of people. No wonder their contact chose this place. About two-thirds of the people were on the dance floor dancing (or more accurately, jumping) in beat with the music, arms waving every which way. The DJ on stage shouted something that Kazuha failed to comprehend to which the dancers replied in unison.

          Bars really aren't her thing.

She unconsciously tugged at the yellow rose tucked behind her ear. She was beginning to feel not a little bit silly at the flower, but that was the only was for their contact to recognize her. The flower was out-of-place in the glaringly modern bar. But, as Sonoko had put it, if Drew Barrymore could pull it off, than so could she.

For the thousandth time, she prayed that nothing would go wrong.

It was her first assignment alone.

And she knew that she has a lot more to prove than either Ran or Sonoko. 

The two were _invited_ into their organization.

She was not.

She took another deep breath and mingled with the bar's regular customers.

_"What are you to me, Kazuha-chan?" Miyagi Ken asked._

_Kazuha frowned, wondering where their conversation was going. "I'm your runner, Ken-kun," Kazuha had replied. A runner was the lowest of the low in the classification of spies. Their job description involves merely picking up files and other indispensables, transporting such things from places to places, and stealing, ahem, _borrowing_, things as the need arises (like what they did at the Yulo Manor). They didn't even have those cool-sounding codenames (though the three girls had once spent talking a whole night thinking about what codenames they wanted to adapt)._

Kazuha sat at the bar.

"What're you getting?" The bartender asked.

"Tequila, please." She replied softly. Today, she was 19-year old Kazama Ruriko, as her new (fake) ID would attest. She can order all the alcoholic drinks she wants. But she was not at liberty to drink, as she needs a clear mind to pull off today's assignment. Especially at a time like this.

 _"You're like my baby, Kazuha. You were the last person to join my group." Miyagi told her. "That's why I worry about you most of all. That and the fact that you live so far away," his voice trailed off._

_Now, Kazuha was positive that this conversation was indeed going somewhere. Miyagi is about to let her go, she just knows it!_

Kazuha liked her new job. Even Miyagi was in Tokyo. But the distance between her and her partners didn't matter, thanks to the advances in technology. Her role in their partnership is to toy around with the new toys that the organization gives her. More often than not, she's behind the computers, intercepting passwords and whatnots, or receiving information Ran and Sonoko feed her through hidden cameras and microphones (via satellite, of course). Sometimes her job would require legwork, but those kind of assignments were few and far in between (like the aforementioned Yulo Manor job). The jobs that were more dangerous were left to Ran. Those that would require infiltration were left to Sonoko. And she was left to cracking codes and interpreting data.

She was good with computers to begin with and after numerous seminars and trainings given by the organization, she now considers herself somewhat to be an expert. Just her luck to be fired just as she was beginning to enjoy her job! 

          "Excuse me," a deep voice startled her reverie. 

          Kazuha turned around and looked up expectantly. She smiled welcomingly thinking that her contact has finally arrived. However, her smile slipped to a frown when she saw a waiter set something on the bar before her. 

          "This is from the guys over there." He said as he motioned with his arm.

          Kazuha looked to where the waiter pointed. A man about twenty-five or so was sitting on a table, grinning suggestively at her. Kazuha kept herself from rolling her eyes. She turned back to the waiter.

          "Please return the drink to him. I don't accept drinks from strangers." She said.

          The waiter nodded understandingly as he placed the drink back to his tray. "Yes ma'am." He quickly left.

_          "You know self-defense, right?" _

_          Kazuha was surprised at the sudden shift in topic. "Yes," she replied truthfully. "Perhaps not as well as Ran-chan, but I can sure kick bad-guys' butts." She grinned, in spite of herself._

_          "Good, good," Miyagi seems to be speaking more to himself than to Kazuha. He then cleared his throat. "The reason I'm asking you all these things is because I'm giving you another assignment." He paused. "I know, I know, this isn't your first assignment, and all. What I meant was, this would be your _first_ assignment _alone_."_

_          "Alone?" She choked out._

_          "Alone." Miyagi replied. "Without Sonoko-chan or Ran-chan." Miyagi sighed. "They would've been here, but the assignment's there in Osaka. And I can't pull out either of them here, some people are beginning to get suspicious. So my resort is to trust my instinct to put you out there all alone. I know you can do it.  But if you're not ready I can always—"_

_          "I'm ready," Kazuha interrupted him immediately._

_          "Are you sure, Kazuha?"  
          That question brought back Kazuha's suspicion that among the three Ran-chan was Miyagi's favorite. Of the three of them, Ran-chan was the only one who was assigned assignments to be accomplished alone. Though, that might have something to do with the fact that Ran-chan could really kick butts big time._

_          "Yes." _Bring it on, _she thought to herself._

          Nope. Definitely no alcohol. This was her first solo assignment. It could be her first big break. So she would do everything according to plan. Everything should be perfect. 

          And she pities the man who would ruin anything tonight.

          "Kazama-san?" A hand placed itself on Kazuha's shoulder.

          Kazuha turned around, this time with certainty and conviction that their contact had finally found her.

          At the darkest corner of the bar, a figure watched intently as a young brunette turned around and beamed at the young man whose hand was on her shoulder. 

          The stranger's eyes narrowed as the woman invited the man to sit down beside her with a wave of her hand. The man complied.

          The man seemed nervous, jumpy even. Like he was doing something illegal. The woman then turned her full attention towards her new companion. The man bent towards her.

          Unconsciously, the stranger's hand gripped the glass he was holding tighter as the man began whispering to the woman.

          The woman's smile disappeared, her head bobbing occasionally.

          But before the stranger could smash the glass with his bare hands, the man stood up. He then handed a small package to the woman, and disappeared as fast as he appeared.

          Kazuha glanced at the package in her hand. 

          "_They're after me. If I'm unable to contact you in three days, that means they've got to me. But I don't care anymore. I just want this to end.  But you be careful. What I'm about to give you can cause you're your life. Use it wisely."_

          That was one heck of a message. She can still feel the chills on her spine.

          She then slipped the package in her evening bag. She paid for her drinks and stood up. She got what she came here for. But her night's only beginning.

          "Excuse me, miss," 

          Before Kazuha could make her hasty exit, a man placed himself squarely in her path. She noted that it was the same man who tried to give her the drink. She looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to the two of them even in they were practically in the middle of the bar. 

          No one, that is, except the stranger.

          "What do you want?" Kazuha grumbled as she stepped away from the man.

          But the man was fast and was able to grab her hand. "Aw, how come you want to play with that other guy and not with me?" He asked.

          Kazuha could smell alcohol on his breath. "Let go of me or I'll cut your hands off." She snarled.

          The man laughed maniacally. "Feisty." He said appreciatively. "Exactly what I want in a woman. Come with me, baby. I'll teach you things beyond your imagination."

          "Maybe I could also teach you a thing or two," Kazuha said sweetly.

          The man relaxed at her sudden change of demeanor. He then leaned forward expectantly.

          Two words. Big mistake.

          Kazuha also brought her face nearer to the man's, very fast as to give it force. The man soon found this out as Kazuha's forehead met with his nose—hard. Very hard.

          The man staggered backwards, both hands clutching his now-bleeding nose.

          Kazuha glared at him before turning around and walking away.

          In the background, the stranger who had stood up during the interaction (which took less that two minutes) barely glanced at the bleeding man as he immediately followed the woman.

-tbc

   [1]: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=77346



	6. Truth and Falsity

Again, standard legalities apply.

A/N:

This chapter (and the ones next to this) took (and will take) quite a while to be uploaded. Contrary to what I've written in the last chapter, I'm now writing everything down first before encoding it (before finally uploading it). Why? I've got no computer. Right now, I'm like a parasite, borrowing and freeloading until I get mine fixed. Oh, well…

This is the longest chapter thus far because I don't know how I would end it. And then I kept adding details while I was typing it…

To Bluedetective: 

It's ok. =) Well, your suspicions would be confirmed or rejected as soon as you read this chapter.

**Chapter 6:**

**Truth and Falsity**

          Sonoko tapped her pencil thoughtfully as she quickly read the next question on the piece of paper. Beside her, Ran was scribbling something furiously. Their class was having a pop quiz in English, and for the first time in her life, she _knew_ that she was actually going to _pass_. 

          She hid a grin. It was quite ironic. She and Ran had been cutting so many classes lately, and yet, they never had so high grades in their entire school lives. She attributed it to the rather intense tutorial sessions they have with Ken-kun. He would quiz, question, and lecture them whenever they would have spare time, usually when they were traveling or during a lull in stakeouts. That man was a genius.

          And right now, that genius was right outside their window, trying to get their attention. Sonoko's mouth fell open. They were on the third floor!

          Ran, who was on the window seat gaped at Miyagi, who was clinging on the wall like Spiderman.

          "Mouri-san, anything wrong?" Their teacher, the stunning blond, Jodie Saintemillion, asked when she noticed that Ran had all of a sudden stopped answering and started to stare outside with a rather peculiar look on her face. Ever since the foreign professor had started to teach this particular English class, she had always paid particular attention to the class's karate champion. And more so now that the beautiful brunette started playing hooky (something she never did before) while pulling her grades _up_. Blue eyes followed the female student's range of vision. She thought she saw a blur of brown go by the window, but it was too fast, she couldn't be sure.

          Ran slowly tore her eyes away from the window.

          And that too. The teacher noted that Mouri-san had become sharp lately. Usually, when the young lady's attention would waver, it would take a few (loud) calls for her name before she could snap out of her reverie. But now…

          "Mouri-san, are you alright?" Miss Saintemillion asked.

          Ran blinked, then her face contorted in pain. "Not really," she gasped as she clutched her stomach. "I'm—"

          "Mouri-san!" The English professor gasped as she squatted down to meet Ran's face. "You're hurting!"

          The whole class turned to them in curiosity, but no one dared talk, lest they be accused of cheating.

          _Ran, you're a genius!_ Sonoko thought to herself. "Miss Saintemillion!" Sonoko called as she stood up. "I'm done with my quiz now, I can escort Ran-chan to the nurse's office." She volunteered.

          The teacher turned from her brown-haired student to her blond one. She had no choice but to agree.

          After Sonoko and Ran left, no one in their class noticed their teacher's eyes gleam in suspicion as they were all engrossed in their work.

          "What were you thinking?" Sonoko demanded as she and Ran met Miyagi at the rooftop. Although the question she wanted to know was how on earth did he climb that wall. She kept herself from asking whether he, too, got bitten by a radioactive spider or something. 

          "I'm sorry, but it was an emergency." Miyagi told them. "Ran, I need you to be in Osaka immediately." He faced his karate champion. She would need all her skills right now. He handed him a piece of paper. "Go to this address, it's not that far. A helicopter will take you to your destination immediately."

          Ran nodded as she took the paper and ran off with a wave to her two associates. They were taught to obey first and ask questions later.

          "And the two of us will have to cover for her absence," Miyagi told Sonoko. "She'll be gone at least two days."

          "A helicopter?" Sonoko was impressed.

          Miyagi nodded. "Our new client is sparing no expense for our assignment." Miyagi replied. "And our boss had left everything in our hands. He even offered that we take advantage of all our organization's…er… utilities." 

          Sonoko's eyes grew big. This must be a very big, not to mention important, assignment indeed. Their first. And to think that they were in charge, though they weren't even in the organization for more than half a year. "When are we going to be briefed with our new assignment?"

          "Tonight," Miyagi replied. "Kazuha will be dragged by her boyfriend here to Tokyo this afternoon to avoid any more suspicion."

          Sonoko wrinkled her nose. Kazuha had told her how she saw Hattori-kun had followed her in the bar the night before, during her first solo assignment. Good thing he didn't do anything drastic or she would be _forced_ to hurt him. And that pretty much told them that the Great Detective of the West knew something was up. But he was the least of their concern right now. But last night was of paramount importance that it was more logical to pretend that Hattori-kun wasn't there than to confront him. 

Then, she grinned when she realized how Miyagi addressed Hattori-kun. Surely, if the girl from Osaka had heard that, she would kick Miyagi's butt, boss or not. "And how do you know that Hattori-kun would do just that?" Sonoko challenged him.

          "If I'm reading everything correctly, then the two Osakan would come here ASAP." He told her confidently. "But first…" 

          "Ran-neechan, I'm home!" Conan announced enthusiastically as he scurried in the house. 

          As usual, the TV volume was on full-blast and Mouri could be heard laughing just as loud.

          "Ran-neechan?" Conan called louder. Ever since the mall incident, he felt this need to know exactly where and with whom Ran was.

          "Pipe down, boy!" Mouri shouted at him. "Ran is in her room." He grumbled, hoping that the boy would shut up so that he could watch his show in peace.

          True enough, Ran stepped out of her room with a duffel bag slung on her shoulders. "Oh, you've arrived. How was your day in school, Conan-kun?" She asked with a smile.

          "Where are you going, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked as innocently as he could. "Can I come too?"

          "I'll be staying at Sonoko's tonight. We have an important project to finish," she replied. She turned to her father. "I'm going now, dad." She called out. "There's chicken thawing in the ref, you and Conan-kun can manage to fry it or something, right?"

          Mouri grumbled something incoherently in reply.

          "Try and behave, Conan-kun," Ran told the small boy as she started to walk towards the door. "I'll be back tomorrow night,"

          Conan nodded. Moments later, he was watching Ran walk down the street from the window. _Oh, Ran, what are you up to now?_ He had this feeling that something was off with Ran today. She doesn't seem like herself. For one thing, she didn't make a fuss over the mess her father was making in the living room. And then, there was something wrong with the way she talked and moved. He couldn't quite put a finger on it yet…

          Wait…

          She told them to cook!

          Before Conan could further ponder the implications of Ran's actions, the phone rang. With a sigh, Conan trudged towards the phone, knowing that he would earn another thump on the head from Mouri if he didn't answer fast enough.

          "I can't believe you masqueraded as Ran right under her father's nose!" 

          It was almost sunset. Kazuha and Sonoko were seated cross-legged on the latter's bed, eating chips and gossiping. It's like the good old days when they were still _normal_ teenagers. Well, they were far from normal now.

          "And how did your confrontation with Hattori-kun go?" Sonoko turned the tables.

          Kazuha giggled even harder. "You should have seen his face." 

          'You've got mail.'

          _"Ugh!" Kazuha shook her head at the computer screen._

_          "What?" Hattori asked irritably as he glanced at his companion who was doing her homework on the couch behind him. He was sprawled at the floor, reading an Agatha Christie novel._

_          "I am _never_ going to meet guys on the net ever again!" Kazuha proclaimed._

_          Now, that got Hattori's attention. "You're meeting guys on the net?" He asked incredulously._

_          Kazuha nodded. "But I did it just once. He didn't even show up or anything. He just sent his friend to tell me that he won't be making it because he's sick."_

_          "You mean that's what you're doing in the bar last night?"_

_          Kazuha summoned all of her acting prowess to look surprised. "How did you know?" She asked suspiciously. She bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing. Darn, this was fun!_

_          Hattori turned red. "Well, uh, I—" he gulped. "Well, what are you doing in a bar in the middle of the night?" He demanded, changing the topic and turning the tables. "Didn't you know it's dangerous? Ahou!"_

_          "A—" Kazuha bit back her angry retort. She had a script to follow. "Well, I didn't really want to," she admitted. "But he said that he has something that might help the Great Detectives, both of the East and West."_

_          "What?"_

_          Kazuha shrugged. He handed Hattori a diskette. "His friend gave that to me. I have no idea what it's about. I tried opening it, but it needs a password or something."_ _Kazuha tried not to smile smugly, knowing full well that it that was true, she would've crack the code in less that five minutes._

_          Hattori went pale. "We have to go to Tokyo," _

_          "Why?" She asked innocently._

_          Hattori just gave her _the look._ They've gone to Tokyo immediately after Hattori made a phone call._

          "And then he dragged me here without even giving me the chance to tell my parents properly." Kazuha told the blond. "Good thing it's not a school day tomorrow so my dad didn't ask a lot of questions." 

          "And that's why Hattori-kun made sure that you're safely in my hands before zooming off to find Mouri-san." Sonoko mused. "He's worried about you," she teased her friend. "He likes, no, he _looooves_ you."

          Kazuha blushed. "He does not!" She denied hotly as she grabbed a pillow and started whacking Sonoko playfully. 

          "Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sonoko tried to defend herself.

          "Good morning, angels," a voice from the window interrupted their horseplay. 

          The two suddenly behaved themselves. "Good morning, Charlie," the two chorused like good little school children as they watched _Charlie_ climb in Sonoko's window.

          "You really should do something about your house security, Sonoko-chan," Miyagi told her with a grin. He had finally resigned himself to the fact that the girls would never give up the nickname they gave him. 

          Sonoko rolled her eyes. "Like that would do any good with Spiderman around," she grumbled.

          "Spiderman?" Kazuha asked blankly.

          "Long story." Miyagi replied with a wave of his hand.

          "How's Ran?" Sonoko asked Miyagi.

          "Why don't you girls see for yourselves?" Miyagi asked as he tossed a chip (not the edible kind) towards Kazuha.

          Sonoko stood up and padded over to her closet where she kept her laptop. She handed the same to Kazuha. 

          Kazuha fiddled around with the equipment and finally had it up and running with a few clicks of the mouse. "We're back in business." She announced. 

          The three crowded at the monitor. 

          "Agent number 1, this is Agent number 3, do you copy?" Kazuha spoke to the microphone attached to the portable computer.

          "Hey, guys, what took you?" Came Ran's voice over the monitor. 

          They couldn't see Ran because the small camera she had was on a pendant around her neck. What they could see was a dark alley with a young man walking, his eyes and head darting over every which way. The camera bobbed up and down as Ran jogged to keep up with the man yet keep her presence hidden.

          "Traffic," Miyagi joked. 

"Hey!" Kazuha's eyes widened. "He's the guy I met in the bar!" She exclaimed.

Miyagi nodded. "Remember what he told you?" He asked. When Kazuha nodded, he smiled grimly. "Our big boss got a little worried. Informers of our organization _always_ stay alive. That's why Ran's new assignment is to keep him safe."

Sonoko nodded. It makes sense. When you have the reputation of protecting the people who talk to you, scared people who know too much will willingly volunteer information for themselves to stay alive. 

"Anyway, did someone brief you on the way there?" Miyagi asked Ran.

          "Yes," Ran told him.

          "Then I guess we'll leave you to do your job so I can brief Agents numbers 2 and 3." Miyagi told her.

          "Alright."

          "Be careful, Ran!" Sonoko called out.

          Edogawa Conan reread the one page long file from the computer screen. He and Hattori rushed to Dr. Agasa's house right after Hattori told Conan the basics. 

          In fact, he wasn't able to _think_ about anything, let alone _do_ something, after Hattori's frantic phone call that he thought that the Black Organization had made their move—in the Osakan's direction!

          And between the three of them, it took them half an hour to break the code (Dr. Agasa informed them that he would be in his workshop if they needed him after the two detectives argued for the nth time on how to unlock the password).

          Haibara refused to help the, claiming that she's a scientific genius, but hacking's just not her style.

          And now, reading the file, Conan was glad that Haibara was not there to read over their shoulders. 

          The file was about _her._ Or rather, the file was about _Sherry_ and her project with immortality. The pill. The drug that made Conan what he is today. 

          "It's about _her_, isn't it?" Hattori asked quietly, his skin becoming a few shades lighter. "And I'm right, aren't I?"

          Conan nodded. "And the file was given to Kazuha?" 

          "Yes." Hattori gulped. "Do you think they found you?"

          Conan shook his head. "But I think they're fishing for information."

          "That's what I thought too." Hattori agreed. "If they already knew who you were, they wouldn't have to send their message through me. They'd choose someone obvious…" Hattori's voice trailed off.

          Conan squeezed his eyes shut, his mind stubbornly completing Hattori's unspoken message. _They would choose Ran_… 

          "Are you sure that the girls are safe in the Suzuki Mansion?" Hattori asked.

          Conan nodded. "After their bout with the Kaitou Kid, their security increased ten-fold." He allowed himself a smirk that immediately disappeared. "They're probably safer there than here with us." _Especially with me…I couldn't protect her, not like this…_

          "Are you sure that they're safe?" Hattori asked. "Together? The three of them?"

          It had become the detectives' favorite topic of discussion lately. What were the girls really up to? It was like a frustrating puzzle. They can see bits and pieces that seemingly have no logical connection to each other, and yet, at the back of their mind, they know that they're just missing the big picture.

          What do they know?

          That the girls were busy the past six months, always running here and there, always disappearing for hours at a time, and then always coming back looking tired and haggard, like they'd been running around or something. But it wasn't always like that.

          Conan knew that Ran started disappearing when she signed up for an after-school karate class with a new teacher. She would always go home dead tired (at one time, she climbed the stairs and just collapsed at the front door and her dad had to carry her to her room). And then she started coming home later and later, but she claimed her body had adjusted to the physical strain of it all. 

          Conan knew that her skills did sharpen. But not just that, she had learn to become _aware_. Before her trainings, he could easily startle her if he was careful with his actions. But now, she seemed to be sensitized that the simplest movements would not escape her attention. He suspected that she had been cutting school too, if the amount of notes she crams every night were of any indication. And she was sleeping less, if the dark circles forming under her eyes were of any sign.

          Plus, Conan doesn't see her pining for Shinichi's return anymore…

          And then, there was Sonoko. 

          She became, well, less irritating. She no longer calls Ran everyday just to talk about guys. She no longer insists on dragging Ran along in her shopping escapades (not that Ran needed a lot of dragging). And on the walk to school together, she would no longer gossip about who's dating whom in class. And lately, she wasn't even arguing with _Chibi-kun_. And she, too, seemed to be not getting enough sleep.

          She, too, was now different. Up to what extent, Conan doesn't know. He only associates himself with her because he had to, because she was Ran's female best friend, and they couldn't make her choose. 

          Hattori frowned, thinking about the day Kazuha started acting weird. That day she declared she was signing up for a computer class outside school. That didn't surprise him. He knew that she was enjoyed messing around with computer programs. So she now had an extra-curricular activity. At first, he was glad that she had something to occupy herself with, that way she wouldn't have to tag along his cases and put herself in unnecessary risk…but now…much as he hated to admit it…but he missed her… Now she was acting like her laptop was her best friend instead of him, she was spending more time with the computer than with him. No wonder, she was meeting guys on the web. Doesn't she know that what she's doing is dangerous? Even if she's a self-proclaimed computer whiz, and she could trace whomever she's talking with if she has to, doesn't mean…

          Wait. Something's wrong. Rewind…

          _"His friend gave that to me. I have no idea what it's about. I tried opening it, but it needs a password or something."_

          Kazuha, the computer child prodigy, not being able to open a file that it took him and Kudo a mere thirty minutes to open.

          Kazuha, the computer teacher's brightest student, threw in a towel for not being able to crack open a simple code.

          Kazuha, the only person in their class who was able to beat Hattori in opening their teacher's secret diary, was unable to hack into a simple program in a diskette.

          "Wait, Kudo," Hattori said through gritted teeth. "I don't think there's any need to blame the Black Organization just yet. I think that we're being set up."

          "If you're sixty, have billions at your disposal than you could probably spend in ten lifetimes, had traveled the world, and have all gadgets and people you want under your control, what more could you possibly want?"

          Sonoko and Kazuha settled themselves comfortably on the bed, but their eyes never left Miyagi who had taken to pacing about the large bedroom. He had gotten their attention, no doubt about that.

          "To be young again, I guess," Kazuha shrugged.

          Miyagi nodded at her answer. "Immortality." He said dramatically. "So if you have billions in your bank account and someone comes over offering you a chance to become young again in exchange for a few million, what would you do?"

          "Donate a few million," Sonoko replied. "That would seem like a drop in the bucket if you have billions. Actually, it sounds like a bargain." She grinned. "And I should know. I mean, most people would empty their lifesavings at the chance to become young again,"

          "So you mean, that's what our client want?" Kazuha asked. "To discover the Fountain of Youth?" 

          "No," Miyagi replied. "Quite the opposite. Our client wants us to stop _them_ from discovering the Fountain of Youth."

          "What? Who's _them_?" Sonoko protested. "And who's our client?"

          "Our client, who's shall remain unknown (SOP, you know. Only the Big Boss knows their real identity), is after the largest crime syndicate in the world." He paused for dramatic effect. "The Black Organization."

          He sweat-dropped when he noticed that his audience was no longer paying him attention.

          "I thought spies were supposed to stop someone from taking over the world, or something like that," Sonoko grumbled as she wrinkled her nose.

          Kazuha nodded. "Aren't syndicates the duty of policemen or something? I mean, if I wanted to be a person who catches crooks, them I would've just stayed by Heiji's side."

          "It's much more romantic that way," Sonoko agreed.

          "Will the two of you pay attention?" Miyagi shouted, his head growing to comical proportions before Kazuha could deny everything. "Thank you," he said as the girls quieted down. "Anyway, you'd be glad to know that we're not just dealing with an ordinary syndicate. It's _the _syndicate. Up to now, the police hadn't confirmed their existence. Some think that they're just an urban legend. But they exist all right. And that man in the bar whose life is right now in Ran's hand is proof that they do exist."

          "You mean, they're out to kill him?" Kazuha asked.

          Miyagi nodded. "He knew too much and his conscience kicked in. He wanted to talk and come clean."

          "B-but, Ran's with him. If she get involved…" Sonoko's voiced trailed off in panic.

          Miyagi nodded. "Ran knew the risks. That's why she was briefed before she was asked to accept the assignment. It was her decision to go on."

          But the worried look on the two's faces weren't wiped out. 

          "And now, I'm asking the two of you to make a decision too before you hear too much." Miyagi told them seriously. "Would you accept the assignment and the rest of the story, or should I stop right now and ask the Big Boss to re-assign this case to someone else?"

          Kazuha and Sonoko looked at each other. Yeah, right. As if they're going to give up their part-time jobs, especially now.

-tbc

P.S.

Please, please review. If only to say hi. So that I would know that someone is actually reading this and inspire me to write better next time.

Alright! Next chapter, the assignment. 

P.P.S.

Hmp! This version and the one I've written long-hand are waaay different. I wonder why that is?


	7. The Secrets of Johnny Walker

Please insert a classic disclaimer in the space provided for.

A/N:

Rejoice! I've got my computer back! Yey me!

I can now type whenever I want to! No more begging and pleading and taking turns! 

And this is the second part of the story of what on earth are our spy girls actually trying to do.

Anyways, I tried to be as accurate as I can with Sherry's story. Unfortunately, I know about it through surfing the web and other fanfictions I've read… The anime episodes shown here in our country are only until the first appearance of the Kaitou Kid (where he tried to steal the gem belonging to Sonoko's family, hence the reference in the last chapter). I mean, Ai hadn't even shown up yet, so I know zilch about her. That's the reason why I'm avoiding writing her into the story as much as possible…but it seems that her part is demanding to be written. It'll be the string that'll wrap this baby up.

And warning! This chapter would contain a lot…and I do mean A LOT…of flashbacks.

**Chapter 7:**

**The Secrets of Johnny Walker**

          "Ran?" Sonoko asked tentatively as she stepped into her best friend's room. She saw Ran by the bed, on her stomach, with her face down. 

          Kazuha went in after Sonoko. "How are you holding up?" She asked gently. 

          Miyagi shook his head as he started to climb out of the window to give the girls some privacy. "She needs to rest," he instructed them. He had picked up his karate champion from the train station moments before, pale, bloody, and shaken. 

          After he had taken her home (through the windows, of course), treated her wounds, she just burst out crying.

          Kazuha nodded her acknowledgement to the retreating man.

Sonoko went to the bed and sat beside the woman on it. Sonoko reached out and touched her shoulder. "It's alright, Ran. Cry all you want." 

          Ran slowly sat up. "I can't believe it," she cried. "I don't want to believe it." 

          Kazuha watched helplessly as s fresh batch of tears made their way down Ran's smooth cheeks. 

          "H-how am I supposed to go on?" Ran cried. "How?"

          Sonoko enveloped the usually strong karate champion in her arms. "We're spies, Ran. We're pretenders." She replied. "You'll just have to put on the best performance of your life."

          It was a bright Monday morning. 

          "Ran!" Sonoko called out as she saw her friend walk towards her with Conan beside her.

          "Good morning!" Ran called out brightly. 

          They met Sonoko by the Suzuki front gate. The three walked in companionable silence. However, moments later, Conan was dragged ahead by the hyperactive Detective Boys. Soon, the two teenagers were a couple of steps behind.

          "How are you holding up?" Sonoko asked Ran gently.

          "The trick is trying not to think about it," Ran admitted.

          "How about physically?" Sonoko asked.

          Ran shrugged. "Good thing our uniforms are long-sleeved." She told her blond companion. "And as for the bruises that do show, I can always blame it on karate practice."

          Sonoko's eyes were drawn to Ran's shoulder where the bullet had more than grazed her.

          "I finally found you!" A voice boomed that made the group of students stop.

          Conan looked behind in time to see a man hurl himself towards Ran. "No!" He screamed, too late.

          And before anyone could react, the man had Ran in his arms! 

          "Sweetie!" He called out joyfully. "I missed you so much!"

          Ran winced as the man unwittingly compressed her fresh bruises. She then pried the man's arms from her neck. Good thing that the man was skinny, or else she would have one heck of a time trying to get him off.

          As the boys of the Detective Boys were frozen in shock, Ayumi walked back to her Ran-neechan and stared at the guy suspiciously. "Is he your boyfriend?" She asked the taller brunette. 

"I thought Shinichi-niisan was her boyfriend." Genta suddenly piped in with a confused frown. 

"Sweetie," the man began with tears in his eyes. "You didn't tell me you have a boyfriend,"

"Argh!" Ran groaned. "Get off! And I don't have a boyfriend!" She cried out in frustration. "Not you! Not Shinichi!" 

          "But, sweetie," the man started to argue.

          Sonoko, who was trying very hard not to laugh, suddenly turned to the kids. "Run along now, children." She said. "Or you'll be late."

          The kids protested as they turned around to start walking to their school. But one certain kid with glasses threw dagger looks towards the man before reluctantly walking away.

          Sonoko wondered if the man who's now currently trying get Ran to let him carry her bag, knew how lucky he was to have escaped death, not once, but twice.

          Sonoko had almost pepper-sprayed the guy. And then, Ran almost killed him her world-renown flying kicks. Good thing they simultaneously recognized the man, or they would have a lot to explain to Miyagi.

          And there was last night. 

          _"We're ba-ack!" Sonoko announced gleefully to the microphone. "What's up so far, Ra-, I mean, Agent number 1?"_

_          "He's got company," Ran replied under her breath._

_          Kazuha took the joystick and zoomed the camera on Ran's pendant. "We don't see anyone."_

_          "They're also watching," Ran told them. "I counted at least two, and I don't think they know I'm here."_

_          "Be careful," Sonoko told Ran in worry, remembering about the Black Organization Ken-kun told them about earlier._

_          "I will." Ran said._

_          And for a while, nothing happened. Sonoko, Kazuha, and Miyagi started to breath in relief. They thought that like Ran, the men Ran saw were merely watching._

_          "They're making a move!" Ran shouted as she saw one of the two men in black whip out a gun. _

_          "Ran!" Sonoko screamed as she simultaneously heard a gunshot and saw Ran dove as she shoved their informer out of the way._

_          "Looks like someone decided to join our fun, Screwdriver," the man with the gun said with a sinister smile_

_"Ran!" Kazuha cried helplessly._

_          "Hello, Sweetie," the man called Screwdriver stepped closer to Ran and the informer. "Looks like Johnny Walker got himself a hero," _

_          Ran immediately stood up and helped their informer, the one they call Johnny Walker, to his feet._

_          "All heroes are dead, aren't they, Cognac?" Screwdriver asked as he whipped out his own weapon and pointed it menacingly at Ran's chest._

_          "I'm no hero," Ran told them. She fingered her bracelet._

_          The move didn't escape Cognac's eyes. "Our little Sweetie's nervous." He laughed, misinterpreting Ran's fidgeting._

_          "No, not nervous." Ran pulled her bracelet, which broke in half. _

_          A piercing sound filled the air._

_          The three men cringed and tried to obscure the sound by covering their ears. _

_          Ran took off two of the bead from her broken bracelet, turned around, and shoved the beads in Johnny Walker's ears. "Sorry about that," she said. _

_Johnny's tortured expression ceased as the beads in his ear filtered the horrendous sound that the broken bracelet made._

_She then turned to the two men who were in pain. "My move," she snarled._

_          Cognac looked up in time to see a kick aimed at him. He tried to dodge but the ringing in his ears was slowing him down. _

_He made a grab at the mad woman attacking him, but he only got her necklace. He threw it to the ground and lunged at the woman. Then, he felt a sharp pain on his abdomen. He stumbled backwards and fell. The gun in his hand was suddenly gone. He was starting to black out._

_          "Go, Ran!" Kazuha cheered behind the monitor as she panned the camera from the ground. It was even better from that perspective. They could now see Ran. She had muted the sound for it was annoying to the point of being painful._

_          Sonoko watched as Ran turned unmercifully to the other man. "Ouch!" She winced as she watched the monitor. "That must've hurt."_

_          "And the man is out!" Miyagi called out victoriously with a peace sign. _

_          Kazuha reactivated saw Ran deactivate the sound through the remaining beads of her bracelet. _

_          "Sweetie!" Johnny Walker cried out as he dove for Ran from behind. "My hero!" A set of skinny arms wrapped themselves around Ran's waist._

_          Ran yelped. "Let go!" She cried. "Let go!"_

_          "Aw, how sweet!" Sonoko cried. "Ran got herself a new boyfriend!"_

_          Ran reddened. "I heard that!" She grimaced._

_          "Sweetie?" Johnny Walker cried out in confusion. "Who are you talking to?" He asked worriedly as imitated Ran as she pulled out the beads in her ears.._

_          "My friends," Ran replied as she knelt down to pick up the pendant. "They're watching," she took out one of her earrings. "We'll be watching you," she said. She handed him the silver stud. "This one's for you in case you need help." _

_          Johnny Walker mutely accepted it. _

_          "Hey, Charlie," Ran called out to the other earring left in her ear. "Can you send out someone to pick up the garbage here?" She said. "And I'm ready to go home now," she then turned around._

_          Back in Tokyo, Miyagi whipped out his cell phone and barked instructions to it._

_          "Sweetie!"_

_          Ran turned around expectantly. _

_          "You're bleeding,"_

"Sorry girls," Miyagi appeared seemingly from nowhere. "He was very insistent on seeing his _Sweetie_."

          Ran glared at him. If looks could kill…

          "Sweetie!" Johnny cried. "I owe you my life! I'm living it out for you! I love you!"

          Ran reddened. "You're embarrassing me!" She hissed.

          "You're going to school?" Johnny asked as he grabbed Ran's purse. "I'll walk you,"

          "No!" Miyagi suddenly interjected. 

          His three companions whirled around in surprise. 

          "Why not?" Johnny whined.

          "We have reason to believe that the school's _contaminated_." Miyagi told them.

          Johnny visibly paled. "You mean this is the school Vermouth's in?" 

          Miyagi nodded.

          "Who's Vermouth?" Sonoko asked with a frown.

          "She's the person who's on the APTX case." Johnny replied hoarsely.

          It was Ran's turn to pale. APTX 4869. The drug that could have possibly…

          _"You're bleeding!" _

_          Ran froze. She looked down on her waist. A spot of red. She remembered the gunshot, the way her body reacted, the way she shoved their informant out of the way, the way the bullet… "I'm shot," she gasped, her eyes widening. Suddenly, her world started spinning. She's never been shot before..._Oh, wait. That's not right. I _have_ been shot. By Shinichi. No! It's Conan-kun who shot me…_ Her head felt light, she was giddy. And now that the adrenalin's running low, she felt pain. And fear._

_          "Sweetie!" Johnny cried as he rushed forward when he saw Ran slump in a faint._

_          "Ran!" Sonoko screeched in her ear._

_          "I'm OK," Ran gasped as she struggled out of Johnny's grasp. "I'm just...er...hurt." She stumbled a little before straightening up._

_          "Hang on, Ran," came Miyagi's voice. "Help's on the way."_

_          True enough, moments later, five rescuers came, treated both Johnny and Ran, and the two men in black._

"How are Cognac and Screwdriver doing, anyway?" Ran asked.

          Miyagi shrugged. "They're clueless about the Pandora Project." He replied. "They're just the guys who do the dirty work. If we really want information, he's our best bet." He motioned towards Johnny who was now arguing with Sonoko because he had accidentally stepped on her foot.

          "Yeah," Ran said. "We've talked." She sighed.

          "That's why you were like that last night." Miyagi said knowingly.

          "Why are they after you again?" Ran asked as she sat beside Johnny Walker on the train towards Tokyo. Since their rescue the night before, he had refused to leave Ran's side, even insisting on going with her to Tokyo. 

          _Johnny's face fell. "It's a long story," he sighed._

_          "We've got all the time in the world," Ran replied, motioning outside._

_          Johnny looked around suspiciously before taking a deep breath to begin his story. "It all began with the search for the Fountain of Youth,"_

_          Ran nodded. She didn't need to ask who _they_ were. She already knew. Those men in black._

_          "Realizing that searching for it in legends weren't going anywhere. So they turned to science." Johnny began. "They tracked down a scientist, a genius in his own right, who claimed that he can reverse the aging process. He was laughed at and shunned by the scientific community. No one was crazy enough to fund his research. No one but the Black Organization, who immediately snatched him. They were leaving no stones unturned._

_          "Unfortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how one would look at it), just as he was beginning to breakthrough in his research, he and his wife died in an accident. The scientist had a photographic memory so he had no need of writing anything down. And when he died, the experiments were sent back to square one. They left behind two daughters. One was groomed to replace her father. The other, the older one, was," Johnny paused with a frown._

_          "What is it?" Ran pressed him._

_          Johnny blushed. "Actually, I don't know anything about her," he grinned sheepishly. "I only know people in the research section, and she's not in the research section,"_

_          Ran sweat dropped. _Ho~okey.

_          "Well, I worked with the younger daughter, the scientist, they call her Sherry." Johnny grinned. "She's a genius, though only nineteen. The Black Organization spotted her talent immediately and she was sent to the US to be trained. After her father's death, she was sent back here to replace him. She tried to replicate her father's experiments, but it was supposedly a failure. When tried on lab rats, well, the rats disappeared to nothingness."_

_          Ran's eyes widened. "Into nothingness?"_

_          "Well, the older sister apparently did something that pissed off Gin, the overseer of the research department. So he killed her." Johnny continued as if he didn't hear Ran._

_          Ran's eyes widened at Johnny's casual way of describing the murder._

_          "Sherry found out and refused to work for the Black Organization anymore." Johnny said. "They'd kill her too, if only she didn't escape. She was handcuffed to in the gas chamber. When Gin went back for her execution, the handcuffs were still there, only she wasn't. Up until now no one knows how she escaped." _

_Something stirred at the depths of his eyes. Suddenly the goofiness was gone. _

_It was only then that Ran remembered that this man was a genius in his own right. _

_"All Sherry had when she was cuffed was a pill." Johnny said in contemplation._

_"So she took it and disappeared?" Ran queried. A woman who would much rather kill herself than die in the hands of her adversary. She wondered if she, too, had the strength to make that kind of decision when the time comes. Ran shuddered. That situation doesn't seem farfetched anymore…_

_"That's what I thought initially. But then, if she indeed took the pill, her clothes would be left from where was cuffed, but there were no clothes. That's how Gin knew that she didn't disappear like the lab rats, but escaped." Johnny told Ran, oblivious to the fear that shook his companion. "So that got me thinking. Maybe the pill worked after all. So I tried the experiment on a forty year old turtle."_

_"What happened?" _

_"At first, I thought it was going to die, the way its temperature rose. It was in obvious pain. Then, it started shrinking." Johnny told her. "Afterwards, it stopped. The turtle seemed OK. But when I asked a veterinarian to inspect the turtle, the report he handed me told me that it was healthy and doing OK. And that it was only _thirty years old_." _

_"The pill worked."_

_Johnny nodded. "The pill reverses the aging process for ten years. The lab rat disappeared into nothingness because it was barely a year old. And that's how she escaped. A child's arms could've easily slipped through the cuffs." _

_"So the creator of the pill was the first victim of her own creation," _

_Johnny shook his head. "No," he replied. "The second."_

_Ran's eyes widened._

_"I heard Gin boasting to Vermouth about giving a pill to a detective wannabe. Apparently, the kid caught Gin on the act during a transaction. Not wanting to draw attention to them, he force fed the pill on the kid and left him for dead." He told her. "Or he thought he left him for dead. I still haven't tried the pill on humans, but I'm willing to bet that there's a sixteen –year old detective inside a six-year old body."_

_"You mean to say that mental age is not affected?"_

_"I repeated the experiments with chimps," Johnny said. "Their body regressed, but the things they've learned over the years did not."_

          _Wait._

_Teenage detective. Men in Black. Pills that can rewind the hands of time._

_All of a sudden, everything clicked into place. Shinichi's disappearance. Conan's appearance. The two men's similarities. Conan's maturity. Shinichi's impromptu visits that were always cut short. Hattori's closeness to Conan. Hattori's slip-ups. Miyagi's flirtatious attitude towards Ran whenever Conan's around. Miyagi trying to draw Hattori in their little game. _

_          She wasn't loosing her mind after all._

_          Ran rubbed her head. Then it struck her. _

_          He lied to her._

_          He was there whenever she was feeling down, and yet, he didn't say a word._

_          She told him her secrets._

_          A sharp pain that had nothing to do with her gunshot wound pierced through her heart. How could he?_

          _The train had stopped in the station. _

_          From the corner of her eye, she saw Miyagi waiting for them outside, no doubt to take Johnny from her hands._

_          Good. She needed time to think._

_          The tears threatened to fall from her eyes…_

-tbc

P. S. 

If you have questions, **please click on the review button** (I know ya want to, don't be shy). I'm very unsure about my plot. If you spot an inconsistency, please tell me immediately so that I can do something about it. Or **just review**, it'll be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

P.P.S

If you want to, read the all the italicized parts first, then the normal ones. I would've written it that way, but decided to experiment. Hope it's OK. =)


	8. Phase 2

Disclaimer. Here. 'Nuff said.

A/N:

Again, reviews would be most welcomed. 

Warning though, this is a transition chapter. Don't expect too much from it. But I'll try to make up for the lack of action in this one in the next chapter.

YunCyn and Nia:

Yes, I will keep on writing. =) Thank you.

Kyoko:

It's fixed, it's fixed. Yeey!

Chapter 8:

Phase Two

          "There are two aspects to the Pandora Project." Miyagi told them. "The scientific part and the mythology part." He grinned. "So far, we're two steps ahead of the Black Organization when in comes to the scientific part. After all we have Johnny Walker. And from what we learned from him, the Black Organization tends to lose their scientists. Now, all we need to do is to find the legend, the Pandora Gem."

          "And how do you propose we do that?" Sonoko asked.

          "Oh, my dear, dear Sonoko-chan." Miyagi grinned. "I think that you're going to enjoy this project most of all. That's why I'm putting you in charge."

          "Really?" Sonoko screeched. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She had jumped up and impulsively hugged Miyagi. "You're the best!"

          Miyagi grinned. "It's about to get better." He handed Sonoko a note.

          Sonoko quickly scanned it and yelled even louder. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe it! This is the best assignment ever!"

          Kazuha and Ran exchanged amused glances. 

          Sonoko placed the note on the table and began dancing around the room.

          "It's a note from the Kaitou Kid," Kazuha read as she snatched up the note. 

          Ran gave a knowing grin. No wonder Sonoko was psyched.

          Miyagi placed a thick envelope on the table. 

          "What's this?" Ran asked. She opened the folder and grimaced.

          Miyagi saw this. "Why, Ran-chan, some people would give up their arm to read the file before you. It's top secret."

          Ran rolled her eyes as she pushed the files towards Kazuha.

          Kazuha peeked in curiously. "It's about the Kaitou Kid,"

          "Really?" Sonoko's impromptu dance screeched to a halt as she heard the magic words. She rushed to the table and grabbed the file folder. "Can I take these home tonight?" She pleaded. "I'm the leader now, so I need all the information need!"

          "Yes, Sonoko-chan, you can have first go at the files,"

          "Why him?" Kazuha asked. "What does he have to do with anything?"

          Sonoko glared at her. "Don't look at a gift horse in the mouth," she said. Then, she frowned. "Whatever that means."

"Good question, Kazuha-chan," Miyagi grinned. He then turned to the computer. "Ran-chan, can you hit the lights?"

          After the lights turned off, a small beam of light emitted from the projector to the white wall before them. 

          "Once again, our research department had outdone themselves!" Miyagi said proudly. "According to legends, there is a stone believed to give immortality to the one who possesses it."

          "The Pandora Gem," Kazuha guessed.

          "Right," Miyagi replied. "But there's a catch. Nobody knows where it is or even what it looks like. All that is known about it is that it's a precious stone, no bigger than a fist."

          "How do we know which one is the real one then?" Kazuha asked.

          "Well, they said that if you hold the gem in the moonlight, a beam would emit from it," Miyagi replied. "But no one's really sure, though. As I've said, no one's gotten their hands on it."

          "And what does the Kaitou Kid have to do about it?" Ran asked.

          "Look at the left of the screen," Miyagi said, motioning to the projected image on the wall. "That's the list our research team's compiled that's possibly the Pandora Gem."

          "That's a lot of stones," Sonoko whistled.

          "And the ones with checks are the stones our thief had stolen over the years." Miyagi said.

          "Wow," Sonoko's eyes bulged. "That's a lot,"

          "Almost seventy percent," Miyagi replied. 

          "Maybe he just like 'em stones," Ran suggested.

          "Kaitou Kid always returns the stones he stole. That means that he's looking for something," Miyagi said.

          "Or he's really bored," Sonoko joked.

          "So our next mission is to look for the Pandora Gem?" Kazuha pressed.

          Miyagi shook his head. "Our next mission is to bring in the Kaitou Kid. He might know something of value about the Black Organization. He might even work for them. After all, they're after the same thing."

          "Ran!" Mouri Kogoro instructed. "Call the police!" 

          Ran nodded as she took off to the direction of the nearest phone.

          Conan was already examining the dead body. 

          The three of them had decided to watch a movie to unwind. And as usual whenever the three of them go together to do something fun, someone is murdered. So Conan wasn't really _that_ surprised when the lights turned on and lo and behold! There was a dead body. He looked up to see Ran speed off outside the movie theatre, the hood of her navy blue jacket flying just below her hair. She had been wearing long-sleeved tops lately, as opposed to her favored sleeveless tops and shorts. And lately, she had taken to wearing rubber shoes, whereas before, there were slip-ons, and moccasins, and strappy sandals, and closed shoes, and clogs, and…

          Conan's eyes narrowed. The shoes. The jacket. The hood!

          Sonoko's hero was Ran!

_"Wait, Kudo," Hattori said through gritted teeth. "I don't think there's any need to blame the Black Organization just yet. I think that we're being set up."_

_          "What? Why?" A childish voice asked, yet the eyes of the voice's owner glittered with wisdom and maturity._

_          "There's no way Kazuha won't be able to open that cursed disk," Hattori replied, absent-mindedly tugging on his baseball cap. "Kazuha can hack circles around us. And even if she's unable to hack into the disk, there was no way she would just give up. She's too stubborn for her own good."_

_          "I see your point." Conan nodded. "So she knows what's in that disk. And if she knows—"_

_          "She would also know that we're keeping something from her." Hattori finished._

_          "And under normal circumstances, she would confront you and demand an explanation," Conan frowned._

_          "But she isn't." Hattori looked at the person before him. "That means she's up to something, but what?"_

_          Comprehension dawned on Conan's not-so-childish eyes. _The questions. The meaningful glances. The interrogation. The late-night phone calls. The man who saved and switched Ran's envelope on their way to school one morning._ "She's working for someone," he said. "Someone's instructing her to do things."_

_          "What? Who?"_

_          "Miyagi Ken." Conan said through gritted teeth. He should've seen it before. "It's quite possible that Miyagi's after the Black Organization and he enlisted the help of the girls."_

_          "What is he then, a detective?"_

_          "Possibly." Conan shrugged. "Or more probably a spy."_

_"She's a what?" Hattori demanded. "You're crazy Kudo. This is not Hollywood, you know." _

_"Think about it." Conan said. "The gadgets, the impromptu travel from Osaka to Tokyo and back. The way they cover their tracks. It reflects that someone's backing them up with money and manpower. A detective doesn't have that."_

_"Yeah, right. And my name's Charlie…"_

          During dinner that night, Conan felt Ran's eyes on him. They were the only ones on the table, as Mouri had once again drunk himself to a stupor, celebrating his genius in solving yet another murder case.

          Ran sighed.

          "W-what is it, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked innocently. But deep inside, he was squirming.  Ran's secret is beginning to unravel; he had a few theories, but believed them to be farfetched, bordering on the impossible. But then again, a year ago, he didn't think that reversing the aging process was possible, either. 

Conan's eyes met hers.

          "Do you have something to tell me, Conan-kun?" She had asked, her voice even.

          "What do you mean, Ran-neechan?"

          "Nothing," Ran replied with another sigh. "Are you done eating? I feel a headache coming on…"

          Conan jumped from his seat. "I can clean up," he offered. "You go lie down or whatever,"

          Ran smiled at him weakly. "Thanks," with that, she trudged to her room.

          Conan watched her retreating form with a sigh of his own. _Oh, Ran. I do have something to tell you. A lot, in fact. But I can't. I can't let you get involved in this one…I have to do this alone…_

          "Argh!"

          Johnny Walker and Miyagi looked up from their table.

          "That's enough practice for today, Ran-chan," Miyagi told the girl behind him.

          On her head was a virtual reality device, one that had helped her train her martial arts technique. 

          Johnny peered over the monitor where he could see a _virtual_ Ran fight a virtual teenager with spiky brown hair and blue eyes wearing a blue suit. The boy was getting beaten up pretty bad.

          After her opponent had fallen unconscious on the ground, Ran tore off the contraption in her eyes and slammed it on the table.

          "Hey!" Miyagi protested. "That's expensive, you know,"

          "Sorry," Ran muttered half-heartedly as she sat down opposite Johnny. 

          "Why are you mad, Sweetie?" He asked.

          "I'm not." Ran replied. "And don't call me Sweetie."

          "Now, be nice, Ran-chan." Miyagi grinned at her. "You know we need a special favor from Walker-san,"

          Ran looked up. "Can we not call him that?" Ran asked. "He's not with _them_ anymore."

          "Quite right," Miyagi replied as he turned to Johnny. "What shall we call you then?"

          "Yoshke." He promptly answered. "My name's Yoshke. I don't remember my last name anymore, but I can remember my mom calling me Yoshke when I was five,"

          Ran looked at him. "You last saw your mom when you were five?" She asked softly.

          Johnny, now Yoshke, nodded. "I was orphaned at that age when my mom was killed by robbers. I was sent to an orphanage. I was classified as a genius when I started school at six. Then, someone adopted me. I was very ecstatic, but I was only handed over to a group of scientist who worked for the Black Organization."

          Ran's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, you poor baby!" She cried as she impulsively hugged Yoshke.

          "Sweetie!" Yoshke cried with her, returning her hug.

          Miyagi hid a knowing grin. Ran may be tough and strong, and can beat up three guys twice her size, but inside, she was still a softie. He cleared his throat.

          Ran released her hold on Yoshke. A minute later and still Yoshke made no move on releasing her. 

          "If you don't let me go in two seconds," Ran growled, which produced the desired effect.

          Miyagi turned to the young scientist. "Yoshke-san. We need a favor from you." Miyagi began. "Can you find an antidote to the APTX 4869?"

          Yoshke's eyes widened. "What for?"

          Ran's eyes were downcast. "You see, my friend…" She began.

          Yoshke stared long and hard at her. "Say no more." He said. "I'll do my best." He declared loudly, but there was a certain sadness in his eyes.

          "So can you do it?" Miyagi asked hopefully.

          "No!" Yoshke replied. "But I can try!"

          Miyagi face-faulted. "What?"

          Yoshke shrugged. "Well, I don't want to give you false hopes. I'm not even certain that there's even a cure, you know. All I have are a few theories."

          Ran's eyes gleamed. "What if I can give you Sherry?" She asked thoughtfully.

          He and Kudo were going crazy, weren't they? He didn't believe such a wild theory. It was an illogical jump. There was no way.

          So what was he doing in Kazuha's room looking for incriminating evidence?

          Wait. No. He was just waiting for Kazuha to go home from her computer classes, right? He wasn't here to try and confirm or deny Kudo's accusations. 

          That's why he's looking under the bed…

          Wait. What's that? A wooden box?

          Hattori reached for the box and dragged it outside. He opened it. He gasped.

          It was a gun…

          No…

          Kazuha…

          "What are you doing here?" A cold voice demanded, making Hattori drop the gun and back off to the wall.

          "Nothing, nothing," he denied, but the gun was on the floor for all to see.

          Kazuha was on the doorway, hands on her hips. "What do you think you're doing?" She demanded, her eyes taking in the disarray of her room. Then, she saw the gun. She walked to it and knelt down. She picked it up and stood up, staring straight at Hattori. "Where did you find this?"

          "Under the bed," Hattori replied weakly. "Why do you have a gun, Kazuha?" He asked. Kudo's words repeated themselves in his ear. _The Black Organization…The Black Organization…_

          Kazuha slowly aimed the gun at Hattori. "I'm sorry, Heiji," she said softly. "I never intended for this to go this far,"

          "Kazuha," Hattori gulped. "What are you doing?"

          "You weren't supposed to find out," Kazuha cried. "You weren't supposed to stick your nose in my business."

          "You're my best friend, Kazuha," Hattori argued, hoping that Kazuha would snap out of it. He didn't like the blank look in her eyes. "Your business in my business."

          "I'm sorry, Hattori-kun," Kazuha then said, calmly. "I'm so sorry."

          _Not as sorry as I am._ Hattori thought as he closed his eyes. _So this is the end. _Hattori forced his eyes to open. He wanted to see her for the last time. _Good-bye, Kazuha. And I lo—_

          He saw Kazuha slowly squeeze the trigger…

Miyagi gasped. "You know where Sherry is?"

          Ran shook her head. "I have my suspicions, though,"

          Yoshke grinned. "If you could find Sherry, that would make my life a whole lot easier." Almost immediately, all signs of sadness were wiped from his psyche. "You know what they say, two heads are better than one!"  

          Ran looked at him, once again seeing his goofy side. But she knew that all of it was just for show. The poor thing…

          Hattori braced himself for the pain.

          But none came.

          Instead, he felt something wet splash on his face.

          He heard Kazuha's laugh.

          "Oh my gosh!" Kazuha choked out in mirth. "Did you really think that I was going to kill you?"

          Hattori's posture immediately became defensive as he crossed his arms on his chest. "Do you think that's funny? Ahou!" He glared at her.

          "Ahou!" Kazuha called out automatically. "You know what they say, turnabout's—"

          "Fair play," he finished for her. "I know. I know." He grumbled.

          Kazuha glanced around her room. "Just what _are_ you doing anyway?"

          Hattori started to fidget. "Uh, spring cleaning?"

          "Nice try," she replied as she got down on her knees and placed the gun in the wooden box. 

          "Just what is that water gun for, anyway?" Hattori demanded.

          "Koshiro asked me to keep this. It's his gift for his younger brother's birthday, but they share a room and the brother had a tendency to mess with his stuff." Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Like someone I know, but I wouldn't mention his name. That idiot."

          "Remember when we were kids and I used to mess with your things?" Hattori asked Kazuha.

          Kazuha's features softened. "You used to make me so mad," 

          "But I only did that because I wanted to know what you were up to and you didn't want to tell me." 

          A ghost of a smile touched Kazuha's features. "Dad enrolled me in ballet class," she laughed remembering. "I was soo embarrassed."

          Hattori knelt down beside Kazuha as they began to clean up the mess he made. "I just want to find out what you're doing again,"

          Kazuha lost her smile as turned to look at her oldest friend. "Why didn't you just ask me?" She asked softly.

          Hattori turned slowly to look at her. "Would you have told me the truth?" He asked.

          "I guess you'll just have to trust me on this one."

          "We're in luck, girls!" Miyagi excitedly called.

          "About time," Kazuha grumbled. "With the way _my_ luck is going, Heiji will find out what I'm really doing with my free time," 

          Sonoko grinned at her. "Well, at least your luck's better than Ran's," she joked. "At least your boyfriend's not a ten year old kid," she giggled.

          "Point taken," Kazuha grinned.

Ran glared at her. "Not funny. At least I don't have a crush on a forty year old," she shot back.

"Hey!" Sonoko protested.

          "Girls! Girls!" Miyagi cried in exasperation. Teenagers these days. They've got the attention span of a newborn. 

          "What?" The three asked irritably in unison.

          Miyagi sweat dropped. "Uh, Kaitou Kid," he mumbled.

          Sonoko immediately perked up. "Listen to the man, girls," she said. "And to me. After all, I am your _leader_."

          Ran and Kazuha exchanged pained glances before settling down to listen to Miyagi.

          "Once again we have to congratulate the research department. They've cracked the code Kaitou Kid gave us," Miyagi explained.

          "Really?" Sonoko asked eagerly.

          "Really." Miyagi grinned. Sonoko's enthusiasm was contagious. "Apparently, we don't have to infiltrate and disguise ourselves for the next mission. We don't have to come and get the Kaitou Kid. He's coming to get us…"

          "No way!" Sonoko wailed as she slammed the phone down. "This is probably the worst time ever!"

          Ran, who was on Sonoko's bed, doing her long overdue schoolwork, looked up. "Wasn't that Kyougoku-san?" She asked lazily.

          Sonoko nodded.

          "Aren't you usually psyched to hear from him?"

          Sonoko nodded.

          "So what's up this time?"

          "He's coming to visit me tomorrow," Sonoko replied with the smile. "As in tomorrow, my big day with Kaitou Kid, my first assignment when I get to order you and Kazuha around." She sighed. "And he'll only be here for one day."

          Ran grinned amusedly. "Talk about timing."

          "I'm glad someone's getting amused about my dilemma." Sonoko cried out, with a glare at her so-called best friend.

          "Well, take him with us tomorrow then," Ran suggested. "After all, I _am_ taking _Conan-kun_ and my dad."

          "But, but…"

          "Hey, what kind of spy would you be if you can't even get away from your boyfriend for ten minutes?"

P. S. 

I have reached my limit of mush (yannoe, with Conan's musings and the interaction between Heiji & Kazuha)… Dpn't get me wrong, I like reading waff, writing them is another matter…

P.P.S.

I have a **really** important question…I don't wanna get flamed, so can anyone please tell me how Ran address Ai? Thanks. =)


	9. Confrontations and Decisions

You know what to do after the beep…Disclaimers please.

A/N:

I can't help the Phantom Thief part. I need him for my future chapters. But I'm not going to put flesh on him. He would be _the_ Phantom Thief, not the person, because I only know him as Kid, not as Kuroba Kaitou. Whatever info I have here about him is gleaned from different websites and fanfics. If they're not accurate, my apologies, but I'm doing my best (read A/N of chapter 7 for the reason why this is).

Also, I made a boo-boo in chapter 7. Ran was shot before, in the movie, _The Fourteenth Target_. I've corrected it now. It slipped my mind for the simple reason that I haven't watched it yet. Detective Conan merchandizes here in our country are like gold, hard to find and _very_ expensive. 

BTW, Kid's entourage is only making cameo appearances. I mean, _it is_ a Kid heist, their presence are _mandatory_, but like the Kid, I don't want to gamble on their characters. I mean, I already am going out on a limb with Kazuha and Ai (I didn't get to watch them either). Oh, well…

Please review. Please review. Please review. Oh, and please review. Thanks. 

M:

Sorry if I confused you with the flashbacks in chapter seven…I was experimenting with the set-up a little…but I'm too lazy to go over it again. Oh, well…your suggestions are welcomed. However, the one concerning the Phantom Thief we all know and loved can't be written because it's in conflict with this chapter (unfortunately, I've written this chapter _before_ I read your review). However, I'll do something with Vermouth and the girls. It'll be in chapter 11. Thanks for the idea and for reviewing. =)

Crazy4u:

*lol* Thank you for the **very** enthusiastic review. I also appreciate your answering to my question. Kid **is** appearing in this chapter (however, before you get any hopes up, read my note above). I am from the Philippines, hence from SEA (btw, what gave me away?). Hope to hear from you again soon.

Kaitou Magician:

Thank you for answering my question. 

YunCyn:

Nice to hear from you again. There's more Heiji-Kazuha interactions to come, not in this chapter though. Rest assured that I've got something special (and I do mean **special**) planned for the two of them *cackles*.

Chapter 9:

Confrontations and Decisions

          "I, the great detective Mouri Kogoro will lead all of you to the capture of the Kid! After all, I leave no cases unsolved, no criminals unpunished!" He crowed loudly. 

"Daddy," Ran sighed in exasperation as her father insisted on making a spectacle of himself.

Inspector Nakamori sweat-dropped. "Didn't he promise the same thing the last time we're here?" He whispered to Inspector Megure.

The older Mouri snorted. "Even that Phanthom thief is no match for me!" He proclaimed stubbornly.

Conan sweat dropped. _If you only knew…_

Ran sighed as she turned to the blond-haired boy beside her. She bowed down. "Forgive my father," she apologized. 

Hakuba Saguru, another teenage detective who came with Inspector Nakamori, grinned at her as she straightened. "It's fine, really." He said.

"Is the Kaitou Kid really going to be here?" Conan asked the taller boy innocently.

Hakuba grinned confidently. "He will. He hasn't backed out of a heist yet," he checked his watch.

          Ran tried to keep herself from rolling her eyes. This guy was worse that Miyagi when it comes to time. Miyagi absolutely insisted that everything had to be on time. Well, that probably had something to do with their line of work where everything has to be synchronized. And perhaps it was the same thing for detectives too. But then, a certain brown-haired teenage detective wasn't like that…

          _Shinichi…_

          Ran's eyes were drawn to the small boy beside her. _Hang on, Shinichi, help is on the way…_ She bit back a sigh. Since she found out, she had alternating impulses of hugging the adorable man-_child _in an attempt to comfort him and squeezing the life out of him for keeping something as big as this from her. _But you're keeping something from him, too. _Ran tried to overlook her jumbled emotions by looking around the museum.

It was the opening night of the Egyptian Exhibit of Beika Museum. And perhaps the heart of the exhibit is the unveiling of a new archeological find, the Immortality Stone, a large gem fabled to bring immortality to its owner. The irony of it all was that it was found inside an empty sarcophagus. That was the object of the Kid's latest heist.

The museum was almost filled with people. Some came for cultural experience, but most wanted to see the Kaitou Kid in action. Anyone who was anyone went to witness its opening. And the place was literally crawling with police officers and detectives, and anyone with the dream to capture the elusive Kid. The museum had adamantly refused to postpone its opening because the Egyptian exhibit would only be in Japan for one week before moving on into another country. 

"Ran!" A high-pitched feminine voice, distinctively Sonoko's, called out. She had just walked in the museum, with her boyfriend in tow.

"Excuse me," Ran murmured to the gentlemen around her as she made her way to the couple to say hi.

A pair of expressive dark blue eyes, now devoid of forced innocence, followed her retreat. Conan sighed as she watched Ran and Sonoko hug and admire each other's clothes.

She looked so grown-up tonight. Her hair was pinned up her head for a change, with a few curly tendrils framing her face. Her dress was long-sleeved yellow dress showed off her shoulder blades. It reached her ankles, though a _very _high slit gave a hint of shapely legs…

She was beautiful as she was a mystery.

Though he knew her for years, she still surprises him.

And now, though closer to her than ever before as Conan, she was hiding something, not just from him, but also from the world.

_Who are you working for Ran? How on earth did you and Kazuha-chan, and possibly Sonoko-chan, find out about the Black Organization?_ _Please don't get involved in this. I'm keeping everything from you to keep you safe…_

But he can't confront her, not yet.

Raking a hand through his already-tousled hair, he made a decision. He was going to come clean…if only to stop her from getting involved in the mess he was in.

"So, is everything in order?" Sonoko asked worriedly as she frantically combed her hair.

Ran grinned at her at the bathroom mirror. "Relax. If you continue brushing your hair like that, you'll go bald."

"How can you be so calm?" She demanded.

"Hey, we can afford to slack, we're not the leader in this operation," a voice in the two women's ears replied.

"Kazuha-chan, are you seeing us OK?" Sonoko demanded.

"Yes, boss." Kazuha replied. 

"How about the—" Sonoko began.

"Been there, done that," Ran replied dismissively with a wave of her hand.

"What? How?" Sonoko asked in confusion.

Ran grinned. "While you were on a date with Kyougoku-kun, Kazuha and I went here this morning and took care of, uh, _stuff_." 

"That's what I like about you girls, initiative!" Sonoko grinned.

"So, ready for action?" Kazuha asked.

Sonoko made one final adjustment in the mirror, took a deep breath, and plastered a smile on her face. "Ready as I'll ever be,"

"I found him," Sonoko whispered to her ring that contained the transmitter. "Or rather, he found me,"

"Where is he?" Kazuha asked.

"Lady Luck is smiling upon us today." Sonoko replied. "Would you believe he's…"

"Kyougoku-kun!" Ran called to the karate master. 

Kyougoko turned around expectantly and waited for Ran to catch up with him.

"Sonoko had a little accident at the punch table near the entrance," Ran told him apologetically. "She's in the bathroom trying to compose herself."

Kyougoku smiled at her. "Thanks for telling me. I'll go get her, then," 

"I'll come with you," Ran chirped as she fell in step beside Sonoko's boyfriend. 

The two walked in companionable silence. However, once they reached the bathroom door, Ran had shoved the taller man inside.

"What the—" Kyougoko gasped. 

"Hello, Makoto-kun," Sonoko was inside, waiting for the two of them.

          "Sonoko-chan, this is nice and all, but this is the women's bathroom," Kyougoko protested with a blush.

          Sonoko grinned wolfishly. "I know." She smiled seductively as she walked closer to him. She then linked her arms around his neck. "Ran and I planned this," she whispered into his ear. "I missed you, you know,"

          Kyougoku then turned around at the mention of the other girl's name. "Don't, Sonoko-chan, not with—"

          But before he could finish his sentence, Sonoko touched his lips with hers.

          His eyes widened. But before he can stop her, Sonoko had released him from her grasp. 

          "I kissed him!" Sonoko announced gleefully. "I finally kissed the elusive Phantom Thief!" 

          Ran laughed at her friend's exuberance. "Congratulations,"

          "What are you talking about?" The man protested. "I'm not the Phantom Thief."

          "Oh, there's no use pretending, Mr. Thief." Sonoko spun around and grinned at him. "We know you're not Makoto-kun. You underestimate me. I am his girlfriend, I know."

          "But—"

          "Oh, don't object too much, or I will ask Ran to demonstrate by pulling your wig off, not to mention your mask." Sonoko interrupted him. "And don't waste your time trying to convince me otherwise."

          The thief whirled around, suddenly dropping his "Kyougoku" costume and he was back to wearing his white tux again, complete with top hat and monocle. "Well, it was nice talking with you, ladies, but I'm out of here," he was about to throw a couple of smoke bombs.

          However, Ran was faster as she caught his wrist and shoved the bombs towards the sink that was filled with water, effectively rendering the smoke bombs useless.

          "Oh, I don't think so, Mr. Thief, we have a _lot_ to talk about." Sonoko told him seriously.

          "Well, I really would like to stay and chat, ladies, but I have a gem to steal," he grinned at them.

          "I'd stay if I were you, _Kuroba-san_," Sonoko said calmly, taking out her big guns.

          The thief, who was on the verge of leaving, froze. "What did you say?" He choked out as the poker face we wore throughout their conversation slipped.

          "That is your name, isn't it?" Sonoko asked innocently, her eyes wide.

          "No," he denied weakly.

          "Oh, yes." Sonoko grinned, knowing that the thief was defeated.

          "Who are you?" His voice was weak, like Ran had just punched the breath out of him. But Sonoko knew that wasn't the case. Ran was standing away from the two of them, watching the two in interest.

          "Your enemy's enemies." Sonoko replied. "So I guess that makes us your friend." 

          "We're not after you," Ran had decided to join in the conversation. "We just want some information."

          "Information?" The thief repeated as he backed off a bit until the sink was directly behind him. Confident that no one was to jump him from behind, he then adapted a relaxed posture.

          "Well, for starters, are you also after the Pandora Gem?" Sonoko asked.

          "Yes," Kid replied. "My turn, how did you know I wasn't your boyfriend? What tipped you off?" He then asked with a frown. 

          Sonoko looked at Ran, as if asking if she should answer.

Ran simply shrugged as if to indicate that it was only fair.

Sonoko smiled triumphantly. "Your smell. I gave Makato-kun perfume on his birthday. He wore it tonight. But an hour ago, he started to smell differently, so I know he wasn't the person I'm with. You are not working for the Black Organization, are you?"

The bandit snorted. "As if." He replied. "Who are _you_ working for?"

"As we've said, your enemy's enemies." Sonoko replied. "Our turn. Why are you after the Pandora's Gem?"

"A good magician never reveals his secrets," was his curt reply.

"We figure as much." Sonoko nodded. "Well, diplomacy couldn't convince you to talk to us, maybe we could try another tactic."

"What do you mean?" The burglar asked with a suspicious frown, his body suddenly tense and alert.

"What time is it?" Sonoko asked Ran, ignoring Kid for a moment.

"It's eight-thirty."

"The Kid said he'd steal the diamond at nine, right?" Sonoko asked jubilantly.

Ran nodded.

"Wanna race him?" Sonoko asked her best friend and partner in crime.

"I'm always up for anything," she replied.

"What?" Kid asked. "Just _who_ are you? And what do you want?"

Sonoko grinned at him. "Change of plans. We would like the diamond for ourselves."

The Kid started to pull out something from his sleeves, but he soon found out that he was unable to do so.

Sonoko grinned at him. "My lip gloss contained powder that can paralyze a person temporarily," she said wickedly. "Just enough to give us time to steal the Immortality Stone," she grinned at him. 

Ran smiled at the thief. "Consider this as _my _payback for what you did when we first met."

"And Pray that nobody would walk in the bathroom while the powder is still in effect," she called out over her shoulder as she and Ran began to walk out. "Oh, before I forget," she walked back to the Thief and pinned a brooch on his lapel. "For you to contact us, in case you change your mind," she laughed and walked out.

"WAIT!"

"Phase one, success!" Kazuha cried gleefully as the car they were riding sped off. 

"Where to?" Miyagi, who was behind the wheel, grinned.

"On to stage two!" Sonoko replied with a giggle. "Job well done, Ran!"

Ran grinned. "Couldn't have done it without Kazuha and her special effects," 

"And my leadership abilities!" Sonoko added.

"Of course, of course." Miyagi grinned. "We make a great team!"

Haibara Ai sat morosely at the computer keyboard. Once again, she hit a brick wall. Frustration was eating at her bones. It's been _months_ now, and still nothing. She glared helplessly at the monitor, when in reality what she wanted to do was smash it in a million pieces. 

"Need a little break, Ai-chan?" 

Ai almost jumped at the sudden intrusion. She knew that the professor was already asleep at this time, so who could it be? 

"Ran?" She gasped. "Ran-neechan?"

The taller woman had disengaged herself from the shadows to stand directly in front of the _child_.

Ai's calm demeanor slipped back in her face. "It's quite late,"

"On the contrary. I'm very early." Ran replied. "Way past your bedtime."

Ai double-checked her watch. It was two AM. However, she said nothing, her face revealed nothing. But a hundred questions whirled in her head all at once. _What's she doing here? _

"I brought a friend," Ran interrupted her thoughts as if reading her mind.

Ai's eyes narrowed. 

"Sherry?" A surprised voice squeaked out.

Ai felt her blood run cold. And for a while, she couldn't think. She hadn't heard someone call her by that name for a very long time. 

Ran saw that the other girl had gone deathly pale. "Don't worry, Ai-chan. He won't hurt you."

Ai then saw a man walk until he was directly behind Ran. She took in his lanky frame, his black hair, and brown eyes.

"Sweetie, are you sure that it's her?" The man asked as he wrapped his arms around Ran, or at least he _tried _to.

"J-Johnny?" Ai choked out hoarsely. 

The newcomer then beamed. "It's her alright." He crowed in delight. "But it's Yoshke now, Sherry."

Ai was bombarded with memories with she was still working for _them_. She had a lot of recollection of the elder boy. He had worked beside her at the APTX project; however, she never had the chance to really talk to him since she preferred to do things on her own.

"And she's Haibarra Ai." Ran told the guy behind her as she once again tried to loosen his vice-like grip on her. "Or would you prefer Miyano Shiho?"

"But, how? What—"

"I've come to develop the cure with you," Yoshke said, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world as he grinned at Ran before finally releasing the irritated brunette.

"You know," Ai glared accusingly at Ran. "But why and how?"

"I do now," Ran replied quietly. "I don't have time to explain. Maybe Yoshke-kun can, if he wants to." She looked at Yoshke. "I'm going to leave you guys here. If you need help, you know where to contact me,"

Yoshke nodded as he unconsciously gripped the earring on his right ear.

"Things are going to get really hot tomorrow," Ran told the two. "Stay inside. And if it makes you feel better, Ken-kun had posted three men outside just to watch you. Contact us if anything goes wrong."

Ran was about to leave when the woman in a child's body called her name. Ran stopped and turned around.

"What do I tell _him_?" Ai asked her, her usual calm and collected mask back in view. There was no need to identify who _him_ was.

"You can tell him whatever you want," Ran replied. "It wouldn't really matter anymore, would it?"

"I guess not."

"I'll pick you up tomorrow right after school, Yoske-kun," Ran began walking away.

"Bye Ran!" Yoshke called out, oblivious to the tension between the two women. "I love you!"

-TBC

P.S.

Please don't flame me for what I did to the Phantom Thief. It would get better, I promise!

P.P.S.

I forgot to ask this question in the last chapter, who do you think is the virtual boy Ran was beating up when Johnny/Yoshke and Miyagi were talking? =)


	10. The Real Him

A/N:

This is going to be really short because I wasn't planning to post until next week…however, the circumstances are forcing me otherwise.

You see, I having a real nasty problem with the way my fic is going… as you may read from my previous notes, I'm not really familiar with the latter characters of DC. Actually, all I know about Kazuha, Ai, and the alter ego of Kid are what I read from sites and other fanfics.

I was told that Ai was very much OOC in chapter nine. My problem now is this? Should I rewrite it or just write an Ai POV chapter or just write an OOC Ai warning? How would she really react under the circumstances? Upon analysis, my bet would be she would just stay frozen in shock, knowing that her past had caught up with her. Hmmm…suggestions, anyone?

BTW, thanks to Kaitou Magician and M for their reviews and for pointing out my mistake. Sigh. Anyone know where I can buy a the latter issues of translated manga of DC here in the Philippines? Believe it or not, the only ones available to me is only up to the second volume (the one where Agasa gave Conan his _toys_ and Conan started giving the credit of solving cases to the Sleeping Detective, Mouri Kogoro).

Help me if you can!

And as for this chapter, this is a teaser, as I don't want to pose my million questions without at least posting something, anything. Please review. Thanks.

Chapter 10:

The Real Him

          To say that Mouri Kogori was not having a good day was an understatement. First off, Ran had pleaded to stay the night at her friend's house even if it was a school night. That means no breakfast for him and the little squirt. Actually, they both attempted to, but that turned out to be a disaster, a disaster that would cost thousands to repair. And that's enough for his already sour mood to turn even more so.

          And then there was last night…

          Mouri Kogoro cursed as he saw the news clip on the television for the nth time that morning. The media was having a field day.

          He decided to take a walk to ease the humiliation of defeat from last night. However, he was not to escape the news as it was being shown in almost all television stations, as the TV Sets in the shop he had walked past would attest.

          Last night, while the Beika museum was swarming with policemen and detectives alike because of the note the Phantom Thief sent, the Immortality Stone was stolen.

          It was stolen by a young _woman_ at that.

          At first, they thought it was the Kid. However, at the end of her heist, the idiotic tux-clad criminal arrived, and he, too seem to be in shock that a new blood had stolen the limelight _and _the stone from him.

          _Great. Now they have two thieves running around Japan_.

          But the thing that hurt the most was that _they_ couldn't do anything about it. The woman (they knew it was a woman because she was wearing a form-fitting black jumpsuit that seemed like second skin, her long hair fluttering in the breeze) had also outsmarted the police and the Greatest Detective that grazed the planet.

          And the media had caught all of its glory on tape.

          Even what happened after the new cat burglar had escaped outside.

          She was standing on the rooftops, seemingly oblivious to the ruckus she caused. She then raised the Immortality Stone she was holding up high until it was directly behind the moonlight.

          Suddenly, the moonbeams struck the stone and light started to refract on the stone, giving it the appearance that it was crying.

          The Phantom Thief, who had also followed her, stood in shock.

          Moments later, she was gone.

          _Who is she?_

          A man dressed in dark clothing followed the Sleeping Detective as rambled aimlessly that morning.

          No doubt that the detective was smarting over what had happened last night. He grinned. That would make his job so much easier. With the detective distracted, he wouldn't notice someone shadowing him, right?

          Then, he saw his chance.

          The detective had made his way over a deserted alley. 

          The man quickly followed. Once he was near enough, he brought out a handkerchief soaked in chloroform. He applied it on the detective's nose from behind. The larger detective struggled for a while. Then, he became limp and started to slide down.

          The man caught the detective and grinned at his accomplishments. He took out his transmitter and radioed for help. 

          A few seconds later, a car had stopped at the other end of the alley.

          He dragged his load in the car. Afterwards, it sped away, leaving neither evidences nor witnesses for what they had just committed.

          Once again Akai Shuichi had performed the tasks given him. 

          Akai grinned as he tore off his wig and pale makeup, revealing his hair to be of a lighter shade of brown and his skin of a darker tone. Yes, he was Akai Shuichi in another lifetime. But now, he was better known as Miyagi Ken.

          "This is Akai." He called out to his transmitter. "Mission accomplished.

-tbc

P.S.

Hey, congratulations to my **blockmates **(and their band, Flawed) for their very successful gig yesterday! Rock on! I've sung with all your songs until I've become hoarse! And that I still say that the guy near the bar was flirting with me…_If only I got his number_…  And if it's not too much to ask, please review my fics. If you so much as make a mistake in playing your instruments, I don't hesitate to say it to your face, but when it comes to me…OK, so now I'm babbling…sorry. I missed you guys though. Nice seeing you again. Hope to do that once more sometime soon. And no, I;m not expecting you to help me with my dilemma. You know even less about DC than I do.


	11. The Chapter with the Long Mathematical T...

Disclaimer:

Aside for the usual 'Detective Conan doesn't belong to me' tag, I would also like to add that the movie 'Jack' doesn't belong to me either.

A/N:

So what does Jack have to do with Detective Conan? Read on and find out. 

Thanks to M's review for giving me the idea for this chapter.

As usual, reviews are welcomed, even solicited!

This is me regretting that I took up Spanish instead of Jap as my foreign language elective…Not that I have anything against Span, it's just that Jap would really come in handy in my obsession with Detective Conan…

Bluedetective aka Crazy4U:

Sorry to drive you nuts…hehe. Still haven't decided on what to do with Ai for the moment, but thanks for the reassurance. Yes, yes, I am from the Philippines, which is why I can't make head or tails of the portrayal of half the characters in Detective Conan. But, that can't be helped, either I use the existing characters or create new ones. But I've been told that original characters are generally frowned upon… Ok, I'll stop babbling now…

M:

The Spy Girls got away with that one, but with a very good reason, as you will read from this chapter. You're right about Ai…so would you suggest: a) a rewrite b) an Ai POV that would explore the complexities of the miniature scientist (and would explain her turnabout, though I still have no idea how to get by that one); or c) an OOC warning? Thanks.

Kaitou Magician:

Thanks for the thought. Though it sent me into a very hyper panic mode, I now know the errors of my ways (wow, very Jedi master-ish). I'm trying to correct my mistake, but it's gonna take a while. 

YunCyn:

I'll answer your question right now. Miyagi is both bad and good, and he is neither. =) I'm kidding, of course. Just continuing with the Star War-sy train of thought. Yes, you do have to wait until I reveal whose side he really is on (the only person who knows is my cousin/roommate who stole my outline, grr). Unfortunately, the Kazuha-Heiji part of my story isn't until later (in chapter 13 or 14), please have the patience to bear with me.

"_Legolas_:"

Dude-pare, why didn't you write your real name? I'm flattered that you took the time off to read my story. Sana lang you read all of it, not just chapter 1 and 10 (this isn't class you know). You won't get away with reading just the intro and the conclusion…I'm gonna quiz you…and where'd you get that thing about interpretation of characters? I didn't know you write fanfic, you don't seem the type (come to think of it, I didn't know you write at all) *insert evil grin* I appreciate it, pare. And I'm not even going to grace your _scaring the guy_ comment with an answer. Hmp! 

See you na lang ulit sa next gig. 

Chapter 11:

One Truth,

One Pill;

One Thief, 

Two Detectives,

Three Scientists, 

Four Spies, 

and a

Handful of Crooks

          "Mouri-san," the blond professor had stopped her student on her way out.

          Ran waited until all students were out before she smiled at her teacher. She liked her foreign teacher, even considering her to be one of her favorites. But Miyagi has his _suspicions_ about her and try as she may to dispel it, there was something she doesn't like about the malicious way that her blue eyes sometimes gleam when the older woman thought nobody was looking…like it was doing right now. "Yes, sensei?"

          "You're suddenly doing better in class." She said.

          Ran beamed. "Thank you," she replied. "I have a friend who has been teaching me English," though Ran was smiling outside, but deep inside she was wary. She felt as if Miss Saintemillion was reading into her inner being. 

          "And that would be your cool guy, right?" 

          Ran almost snorted_. _Now_ I get it. Cool guy and cool kid. How much more dense can I be? Wait. It's just a coincidence. Miss Saintemillion doesn't know about Conan and Shinichi. She may be eccentric at times, but she is just an ordinary woman, right? Vermouth is _not_ my English teacher_. "Well, he seems to have disappeared, sensei." Ran said softly, sadly, tapping into the acting workshops she attended. She knew that she can never be Sonoko, but she knew enough to at least confuse this sharp woman. "Haven't heard from him for months now."

          "Oh," Miss Saintemillion frowned. "Well, I would like to congratulate you on a job well done, Mouri-san." She said. "However, your absences are beginning to worry me. You have the most in this class, just a few more than Suzuki-san,"

          "I'm sorry, sensei," Ran said apologetically.

          "And why—"

          Thankfully, Ran was spared from replying to a question she doesn't have an answer to by the ringing of her teacher's phone.

          "Excuse me," the blond turned around and grabbed her cell phone from her bag.

          Ran's eyes widened.

          "Ran, Miyagi's talking to Vermouth right now," Kazuha's voice whispered in her ear. 

          Ran closed her eyes.

          _"If my guess is correct and Vermouth is your English teacher, then she's going to talk to you tomorrow after class." Miyagi told Ran._

_          "What makes you so sure that they're one and the same?" Ran challenged, refusing to believe that a teacher she admires very much could turn out to be their most dangerous enemy yet._

_          "For one thing, the two arrived simultaneously here in Japan," Miyagi said. "And for another thing, we've searched your teacher's background was a bit questionable."_

_          "Meaning?"_

_          "Fake everything. Fake birth certificates, fake teaching licenses, you name it, she faked it," Miyagi said. "It was thorough and almost believable, but our experts believed otherwise. It would seem genuine to even the trained eye, but we have our ways of determining the real from the forgery."_

_          "But you said you were only guessing," Ran argued stubbornly._

_          "I am. That's why we're going to confirm it tomorrow." Miyagi told her. "After class _when_ she talks to you, I'm going to call Vermouth. If they're one and the same person, then your teacher would answer the phone. You would know what to do."_

_          "How do you know that she'd talk to me tomorrow?"_

_          "She's a sharp woman." Miyagi said. "I believe that she's starting to get suspicious of your and Sonoko's unexplained absences. Plus we just stole the Immortality Stone. And we've shown through live nationwide broadcast that the Immortality Stone is the much-coveted Pandora's Gem. Have you forgotten that the whole point behind that maneuver is to force the Black Organization to make a move? But they don't know us. They would leave no stone unturned, pun not intended."_

_          Ran rolled her eyes. "And I'm not even going to ask how on earth you got the number of a woman who's not supposed to exist!"_

          _Harden your heart, steel your nerves._ Ran thought to herself. Isn't that how she survived the past few weeks? First Conan, then her teacher. How much more can she take? _A lot more. You're tough. You can pull this off. And when it's over…_

"Mouri-san?" The teacher had finished her conversation. She was now regarding the spaced-off Ran weirdly.

          When Ran met the elder woman's gaze, she almost flinched. Gone was the warmth, the sincerity, the friendliness. Instead, it was replaced with coldness and emptiness.

          "The man on the other line told me that you have something to tell me," she said.

          Ran nodded. _I'm a professional, I can do this._ "We have the Pandora Gem. If you want it, you'll have to come on _our_ terms."

          "And what makes you think that we can't simply take it away from you?"

          "You don't even know who we are," Ran told her smugly.

          "We have our sources."

          "So do we. We're not afraid of you."

          "We might not know who you are working for, _Angel_," Saintemillion, no, she was Vermouth now, said. "But I most definitely know who _you_ are."

          Ran allowed herself to smirk. "Is that a threat?"

          "It most certainly is."

          "Good." Ran replied confidently. "I like a little excitement in my line of work. So if you'll please excuse me," with that, she confidently walked away though she was trembling terribly deep inside.

          "Professor!" Conan called out as he entered the professor's house. 

          The professor met him at the living room, looking nervous and agitated. "Kudo-kun!" His eyes widened when he saw the younger man. "You're home early. I wasn't expecting you until later."

          Conan rolled his eyes. "I ditched the kids," he replied easily as he dropped his backpack on the couch. "I'm not up to playing mindless games with them today. I've got other things on my mind." _Especially since Hattori informed me last night that Kazuha wasn't home on the pretext of sleeping over at a classmate's house_. Hattori had taken the liberty of checking out his friend's alibi. Kazuha was nowhere to be found. And suddenly the whole spy thing didn't seem farfetched at all; especially since the cat burglar last night had disturbingly familiar hair…

          "Uh, would you like something to eat?" 

          Conan frowned. There was something weird about the way the professor was acting that afternoon. "What's going on?" He demanded suddenly.

          "Nothing!" Came the quick reply. "Nothing, Conan-kun."

          Which made Conan more suspicious. "Where's Haibara?" She had once again skipped classes. Not that she would get in trouble or anything. She is, after all, a university graduate and a scientific genius at that.

          The professor paled. 

          Conan's eyes narrowed as he suddenly got up and ran towards the laboratory where he knew Haibara spent most of her time in. When he neared the laboratory door, he heard something that made his heart stop. He debated whether or not to go in, but the conversation floating from the inside had caught his attention. Knowing that they would stop once they know he arrived, he opted to stay outside.

          "The problem with your research, Ai-chan, is that you have a one-track mind. You're so bent on finding the cure." A male voice said.

          "Isn't that the whole point of our reunion?" Came Ai's cool but scathing reply.

           "Relax, I'm not wasting your time, I promise you." The man laughed. "Have you watched the movie, '_Jack,_' the one with Robin Williams?"

          "I have no time for this." Ai told him. "No wonder you were called the perpetual goofball back in the old lab."

          "Well, _Jack_ was this kid who was stuck with a disease that made his growth accelerate four times faster that normal. By the time he was ten, his body was physically in his forties." The man mused slowly.

          Conan had no doubt in his mind that Ai was starting a slow burn.

          "His condition in the movie was fictional, but doesn't it make you think?" 

          "Come out with it," Ai commanded coldly. 

          "Maybe the APTX 4869 has no cure." The man said slowly. 

"Do you have an attention span disorder or something?" Ai had snapped, irritated at the way her companion erratically shifts from topic to topic. "So are you basically telling me that there's no point in our being here?"

          "No," the man replied. "All I'm saying is that the reason you're stuck with only a temporary cure is because you're looking at the problem the wrong way,"

          "What?"

          "He means to say that maybe searching for a cure isn't the way to go." 

          Two pairs of eyes had swung around to look at the newcomer who just entered the door and joined in their conversation.

          "Kudo-kun," Haibara gasped.

          But the man, Conan recognized him now as the man who called Ran 'Sweetie' a few days back, beamed at the newcomer. 

          "He's right," the man affirmed. "We might be searching for something that doesn't exist."

          "So, what are we still doing here?" Ai demanded, irritated that she was being tag-teamed by two men who never even met each other before, but none of her irritation showed in her face.

          "We won't look for the cure anymore. Instead, we'll look for something to help the growth rate accelerate." Conan told her. 

          Introductions and half an hour later, the two scientists, one small and one tall, both geniuses, were bent on their work. First, they had researched all that they can about Progeria, Werner's Syndrome, and Agrogeria (different aging disorders). Not a lot was known about them, but Yoshke claimed that they now had enough information to spurn their experiments on.

          They had decided to stop searching for a cure but start working on something that would stimulate the growth hormones.

          "The tricky bit will be to tell the hormones exactly _when_ to stop their aging process." Yoske had said. "After all, Sweetie wouldn't want a grandfather for a friend,"

          Conan had itched to ask Yoske about the Sweetie business, and how on earth did their paths cross. He _thinks_ he knows the answer to that one, but he wanted to confirm his conjectures.

          Suddenly, something inside Yoshke's pocket beeped. "That's Sweetie," he said, always smiling. "She's come to take me home."

          "Can she wait for just ten more minutes?" Ai asked distractedly. "I think we're on the verge of something here,"

          "I'll go tell her," Conan bounded out the room before Yoshke could object.

          True enough, Ran was outside the door when he opened it.

          "Ran," Conan breathed.

          "Conan-kun," it was apparent that she was surprised at his appearance. "They told me that you're not to arrive until later."

          Conan shrugged. "I didn't feel like going to class." He stepped aside for Ran to go in.

          "I just came to pick up—" her voice trailed off.

          "Ran, we need to talk," Conan told her as he took her hands in his small ones as he led her inside. He didn't bother with the honorific. They both _knew_.

          "I'm sorry, Conan-kun," Ran choked out. "I-I can't." A sob got caught in her throat as she dropped to the couch. "Not today." She covered her face, yet Conan knew that she was crying. "Just not today,"

          The desire to tell the truth and in reciprocity, hear it, was raging inside of him. Wasn't he the one who always say that there is only one truth?

          And yet, his heart wrenched for her. He knew he was partly, if not the only one responsible for her pain today, whatever it was. And for one more day, he would pretend that all was well, and the things that happened in the span of a few days didn't come to pass. For one more day, he would deny the truth, and put on his mask once more. For _her_.

          "What's wrong, Ran-neechan?" He chirped innocently as his tiny hands rubbed her back awkwardly. 

          Conan could only work out two words from Ran's sobs. 

          _Saintemillion_ and _Vermouth_.

          "Ran-neechan," Conan was reminded of another time, in another case when another teacher, Miss Yonehara, had seemingly broken Ran's heart. He was as helpless to comfort her then as he was now. 

          But this time, Ran didn't pull him in her arms. She didn't call out for Shinichi. Today, it was enough that it was Conan-kun who was sitting beside her, comforting her. After a while, Ran had ceased her sobs. She smiled weakly at him. "Thank you, Conan-kun."

          "Is it true that Saintemillion and Vermouth are one and the same?" Conan asked quietly.

          Ran lowered her lashes.

          A crash was heard.

          "Ai-chan, what's wrong?" Yoshke asked in confusions as his companion had dropped the glasses she was holding. The two of them decided that the four of them would drink lemonade before he and Ran leaves (actually, he thought of it, he just bugged Ai to comply).

          Ran looked at the seemingly adorable little girl. "Don't worry. As long as you stay in here, they couldn't touch you. We've set up surveillance and we have people outside." She said, wiping a little at the tears on her face.

          Ai nodded slowly.

          "Conan-kun, you have my permission to sleep over here tonight." Ran faced the serious boy beside her. "You will _not_ go home under any circumstance."

          "What?" Conan gasped.

          "We checked our house a while back. It was ransacked." Ran told him calmly.

          "B-but—" Conan started to argue. He wanted to help, not be under house-arrest, if only…

          "I can finish the new antidote tonight," Ai told him, as if reading his mind. "Even without Yoshke-kun,"

          "What happened to Uncle Kogoro?" Conan suddenly asked. He might not like him very much, but he is Ran's father.

          "I'm not sure yet." Ran sighed. She was awake the whole night, first the heist, then delivering Yoshke, then the planning. She went home only to learn that yes, someone did ransack their house and her father wasn't there. "Yoshke-kun, let's go,"

          "If it's so safe here, why can't he stay the night?" Ai asked the taller girl.

          "We need him tonight," was Ran's simple answer. With that, the two _normal_ teenagers left, leaving behind the two _not so normal_ kids.

          "Hello?" 

          "Akai-san," a feminine voice on the phone said.

          "It's Miyagi Ken now," he growled, impatient that his scheming for the day was disrupted.

          "Really?" The voice drawled. 

          "Who's this?"

          "You should know by now."

          Miyagi gulped. "Sorry!" He gasped. "I'm so sorry."

          "Hmm." The voice hedged. "Did you do what I asked of you?"

          "Yes," Miyagi said. "It's clean. The girls didn't suspect a thing."

          "Where is he, then?"

          "In the headquarters. He's heavily guarded. There's no chance of escape."

          "Escape!" The woman snorted. "I don't think he's smart enough for that."

          "No, ma'am," Miyagi murmured, but only because he thought it to be appropriate.

          "Good work, _Miyagi-san_," the woman said just before she hung up.

          "The enemies of my enemy are my friends, right?"

          "Kid!" Sonoko screeched. "What are you doing here?" She asked excitedly.

          The elusive Phantom Thief had magically (literally in a puff of smoke) appeared on the hood of the convertible that the girls were in. They were parked outside a fortress. It might as well be called a fortress as it was very high walls and barbed wires surrounded a large building.

          Yoshke had claimed that it was one of the Black Organization's Secret Laboratories.

          "Mouri-san, Toyama-san, Suzuki-san," the thief said as he pointed to the girls one by one.

          "He catches on pretty fast," Kazuha grinned.

          "You took me by surprise the last time we've met," the Kid said.

          "Sweetie," Yoshke slid closer to the love of his life. "Who's he?" He whispered.

          "He's Kid, the Phantom Kid," Ran whispered back.

          "So, you're here to get the Immortality Stone back?" Sonoko challenged him.

          "The stone you have," the Thief said. "Is a fake. That's the reason I let you get away last night. It's all staged to draw certain people out. Like me, for instance."

          Kazuha's grin widened. "You're good," she allowed.

          "I know," came the confident reply. "Had you have the real Pandora Gem, I wouldn't have let you get away."

          "So why are you here if not to take back the stone?" Ran asked.

          "You've said it yourself. The enemies of my enemy are my friends." The Kid said. "The short time we've parted, my ladies, I have not thought of anyone but you." As he said his litany, a shower of roses swept in the car.

          "Ooh!" Sonoko breathed.

          "I'm not even going to ask how he did that," Kazuha mumbled.

 I've done my homework. I know who you are," the thief continued. "And I think I don't want to get left behind in whatever you're planning."

          "Yes," Kazuha nodded. "That and the fact that you want to find out how we learned your identity and whether or not we'll keep it."

          "Ah," the Thief said. "That too."

          "So did you find anything?" Conan demanded as Hattori rambled in Professor Agasa's home.

          Hattori shook his head. "Neechan's house was a mess, but no evidence was left." His face turned grim. "There was no trace of Ran's dad."

          Conan had called Hattori the moment Ran was gone to tell him of his discoveries.

          The Western Detective insisted on coming right over and checking things for himself. 

          Conan wanted to join his colleague, yet he opted to stay in the laboratory, in case Ai finished the new pill.

          "Where are they now?" Hattori demanded.

          "I have no idea," Conan replied truthfully.

          Hattori was about to say something smart when someone knocked on the door. "I'll get it," he grumbled. "You!" He exclaimed when he found out who was the man outside. It was Ran's date when he saw them in the coffee shop in Osaka.

          "Good afternoon to you too." He smiled cheerfully. "You must be the Other Great Detective."

          "And who are you?" Hattori growled.

          "Miyagi Ken, at your service," he said with a bow. "Can I come in, then?" He asked as he straightened up.

          "Let him in," came a childish voice from inside. "We need him."

          Miyagi nodded. "I brought the chemicals Yoshke said he and the tiny scientist needed." He said, indicating to a small bag he was carrying.

          Hattori stepped aside reluctantly.

          "So, where are they?" Hattori demanded after Miyagi had delivered the goods and plopped down the sofa.

          "Who?" Miyago asked innocently.

          "I wouldn't bait him if I were you," Conan told the man innocently. "He's brought his katana all the way from Osaka."

          "Oh," Miyagi grinned maliciously. "Well, Mouri-kun is safe as safe can be."

          "He's with you?" Conan frowned. "How did you convince him to stay put?" He asked. He knew that the elder Mouri didn't like being out of the action. Especially now that Ran was part of the equation, he would no doubt insist on bringing it on.

          "We have our ways." Miyagi said. "And the girls are all together, on assignment."

          "Where?" Hattori demanded.

          "Oh, somewhere," 

          "How did they come to work for you?" Conan had asked, distracting Hattori from lunging at Miyagi.

          "It's a long story." 

          "Better start telling it then,"

          But they were interrupted by Professor Agasa's loud calls. "It's finished! It's finished! We've got the cure! Shinichi!"

-tbc

P.S.

Hey, I just learned that when I clicked on Spy Girls, the page only displays until chapter 4 and in order to get the latter chapters, I had to alter the whatchamacalit, address bar, I think. How can I remedy that? Thanks.


	12. Virus

Disclaimer: Am not earning anything. Not making money, you got that?

A/N:

I just realized that this is actually an alternate universe fic. Nice. I always thought alternate universe meant mixing the main characters with something futuristic or mystical. Ah! I need tutorials to refresh my Internet vocabulary or something. 

And can anyone please tell me how am I doing in the suspense department? Is this too predictable? No flames, just constructive criticisms, thank you very much.

And did you know that the letters in the word VIRUS in computers actually stands for something? I learned that from a game show (as in _Pilipinas, game ka na ba?)_. Is that correct? Please let me know.

Oh, and I'm a little bit geographically challenged (meaning I don't take directions very well and easily get lost, yes, even in places where I lived my whole life), so I tend not to be overly detailed (actually I skip that if possible) in geographical descriptions. 

Please review.  And don't hate me for what I did in this chapter.

Bluedetective:

I think I still have a few chapters to go before I finally reveal which side Miyagi's on. Sorry. But, please, keep on reading. I'll be dropping a few hints here and there.

YunCyn:

Thanks for the compliment on the katana comment. You **are** a Heiji-Kazuha fan. I should've known. Well, I promise that at chapter 14 at the latest, I'll dish out a H/K thingy. 

1412:

Thanks for the tip. I'll do just that as soon as I have the time.

NYC0985 :

And yet, you read all the way to chapter 11… 

Dess (my cousin who stole my outline):

Hey, since you know na what's going to happen, the least you can do is to review my story. But for your sake, I changed the outline a bit. I think I owe you one. I actually like the new outline better than the old one. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. And no, you **cannot** look at it. I swear if you steal it again, I'm going to smother you in your sleep. I'm not your roommate for nothing, you know. 

**Chapter 12:**

**VIRUS**

**(Vital Information Under Siege) **

          Conan gasped, hardly believing what he was hearing.

          "Good, good," Miyagi grinned.

          "Shinichi," Agasa called out.

          Ai walked calmly after the professor. 

          "Is it true?" Conan gasped, his voice barely a whisper. This is it.

          Ai nodded. "Theoretically, it should work." She said. "Actually, I don't think there's any reason for it not to work anymore."

          "And I won't regress?" 

          Ai actually smiled. "This isn't a cure, Kudo-kun. It's medication that will accelerate the speed that your body grows. An anti-thesis, if you will, of the APTX 4869. The only danger is that the safeguard Yoshke-kun and I put up would fail and your cells wouldn't know when to stop their growth acceleration causing you to die of old age at age seventeen."

          "That's it?" Hattori shot in with a smirk. "Better to die than to regress, right?"

"Shut up." Conan grimly held his hand out. Everyone in the room knew that it was a risk he was willing to take. "I'm ready."

          Ai actually grinned. "What are you holding out your hand for?" She asked.

          Conan almost burst with frustration. Now is not the time for bantering. "Come on, Ai. Ran needs me now,"

          "I have to administer the cure to you," she said, she then held out a syringe filled with white liquid. 

          Conan paled.

          Miyagi snickered. 

          "Mouri-san's request," Ai added.

          Hattori couldn't help but laugh. Neechan sure got her own ways of making her displeasure felt.

          "Plus the effects will be faster if it's injected directly to your bloodstream." Ai said. "On the upside, your change won't be as painful as the change with the APTX."

          "What do you mean?" Hattori asked.

          "Yoshke-kun said that it would be better if the medication's given in small dosages rather than at one go. Less painful. More controlled. Less room for mistakes." Ai replied. "This shot will age you about three years." 

          "That would mean I'll have three shots," Conan murmured.

          "Four, actually," Ai _almost _snickered. 

          "I can handle being a year younger, sixteen is good,"

          "Aw, don't be such a baby," Hattori teased.

          Conan glared at him as he sat morosely on the sofa. Agasa raised the sleeve of his right arm and started to clean it with cotton sprayed generously with alcohol. Ai then proceeded to give him a shot.

          Conan winced as the needle stabbed him. He felt the liquid enter his body.

          "The second shot will be in three hours at the least," Ai told him.

          "That long?" Conan groaned.

          "Yoshke-kun and I computed it very well. It has to be that long or your body might go into shock." Ai replied, giving him an evil glare. Her eyes then turned to the guy amusedly watching them. "Who's that?"

          Miyagi grinned. "You must be Miyano Shiho." He said.

"What time is it?" Yoshke asked as he shifted uneasily in the backseat of the car.

          "Nine," Kazuha replied.

          "Well, some of them would have to leave that building sometime, right?" Sonoko asked irritably.

          "Well, if they are, now is a good time to leave." Yoshke replied. "Nothing like booze to help you unwind after a long day at work."

          "Ladies, I see our tickets in," Kid said with an evil grin he had insisted on staying with the girls that night, but he was on the tree beside the car, connected by the communicator they left him the last time.

          "You're still here?" Ran asked him lazily. "Sonoko's kiss affected you that much, huh?" She joked as she looked up the tree. She could've sworn that she saw just a hint of red beneath that poker face of his…

          "This isn't a time to mix pleasure with business ladies," was all the thief said.

          Sonoko looked over to where the Kid had pointed          earlier. 

          A man had just exited the building/laboratory of the Black Organization.

          "Hey, Kid," Sonoko called out. "You're a master of disguise, right?"

          "Of course,"

          "So how good are you in picking up men?"

          Conan was feverish but conscious. Already, they could see developments of his rapid growth. He should be resting, but he wanted to hear Miyagi's story. So while Conan lay on the couch, his face contorting in pain (though not as painful as his experience with APTX), the others turned expectantly at Miyagi.

          "You're probably wondering whom I'm working for," he began, his face breaking into a grin.

          "Among other things," Hattori grumbled. He had insisted that he come after the girls while the rest work on Conan's cure but Miyagi flat out refused to tell him where they are, insisting that they could very much take care of themselves.

          "Well, won't the good detectives venture a guess?" Miyagi grinned enthusiastically.

          "Oh, darn!" Sonoko cried out as she stumbled a little.

          Her slim and nimble companion caught her as she fell.

          "Are you alright?" Her companion asked.

          Sonoko looked up to the pretty face of the Phantom Thief. He really was good. Even she can't tell that he was only wearing a disguise and was not a real woman at that.

          "Is everything     alright?" A concerned voice asked.

          Sonoko and the Kid turned around and saw the man who had exited the Black Organization laboratory earlier.

          Kid grinned at him. "Oh, look, Hikaru-chan, we finally found someone!" 

          Sonoko looked at the man. "Our car had a flat tire," she explained. "We're not from around here and our car broke down. We don't know how to fix it or who to call," she was on the verge of tears.

          "And we're so scared, it's dark and scary," the Kid added, his feminine face etched with fear.

          "Oh," the man said. "Don't worry. I think I can help you with that." He said confidently.

          _Even better. _"Really?" Sonoko asked confidently. "Oh, thank you, thank you." She smiled.

          "Our car's this way," Sonoko said as she led him to where they parked earlier.

          Kid popped open the compartment. "The tools and the spare tire are in here," he called out.

          The man rolled up his sleeves and went around to the back of the car. He stood beside Kid and bent down to retrieve the tire.

          Sonoko saw Kid inconspicuously steal the man's wallet. Kid then made it disappear. She hid a grin. That was easy. Maybe she could ask Miyagi to have someone train her to do that too.

          From the tree, Sonoko saw Kazuha take lots and lots of scanned photographs of the man. They needed his exact body measurements and specifications.

          "Oh, thank you, thank you," Sonoko cried out after the man had finished changing their tire.

          "No problem." He smiled at them. "I better get going." He said.

          Miyagi laughed. "The government!" He scoffed. "You thought we were working for the government?"

          Hattori glared at him. 

          "The government, this one and others around the world, are clueless as to the existence of the Black Organization, let alone ours." Miyagi replied.

          Had Conan been more himself, instead of fighting drowsiness and pain on the bed, he would've agreed.

          "So who do you work for?" Hattori demanded.

          "Well, we work for the highest bidder." Miyagi grinned.

          "You're for hire?"

          "We have to make ends meet." Miyagi replied easily. "And believe me, espionage is not something you go into without money to back you up. Gadgets needs funding in their research, and information is for sale."

          "Who are you working for right now?"

          "I can't answer that." Miyagi crossed his arms, daring Hattori to contradict him.

          "Fine," Hattori said. "What does the girls have to do with you?" He demanded.

          "So the plan is to get in, get the pills and destroy as much of their files as possible, and get out as quick," Kazuha said as she typed in her laptop showing a map of the lab that Yoshke had painstakingly recollected, with the various security checks. "And if nobody notices our presence there, the better."

          "Where would be the fun in that?" The Kid asked seriously.

          The three girls turned to him simultaneously. 

          "Don't tell me you're going to leave a note," Ran groaned.

          "Well, you girls have your way and I have mine," he grinned.

          Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Alright, why don't we split the assignment?" She suggested. "Kid'll search for the pills and Ran can corrupt their system."

          Kid nodded. "Alright." He grinned. "Race you," with that, he disappeared.

          "My parents were spies, that's how I got into this business." Miyagi related. "However, my strengths are more in the organizational level and in playing the political game so they thought that they'd give me a chance to start my own team.

"Well, the long and short of it is that I know Ran-chan, I know she has potential, so I wanted to recruit her. Disguising myself, I followed her for a while. And it was while following her that I found out about short-stuff over there and the Black Organization. So I recruited Ran, she sort of recruited Sonoko-chan. Kazuha-chan found out, and she wanted in our little set-up."

Hattori frowned. "So they've been doing this for half a year now?"

          Miyagi shook his head. "The first few months are for training. But we've had our little set-up for three months now."

          "Set-up?"

          "I'm their eyes and their mouth. I search for information and relay messages for them to our Big Boss." Miyagi explained. "Ran-chan's our legs. She does the dirty work like running after crooks. Sonoko-chan's our face. She changes her identity and becomes someone else so that we can get the information we need. Kazuha-chan's our brain. She coordinates everything we do and monitor our progress. It's like clockwork."

          "Where's the Kid?" Ran asked as she and Sonoko effortlessly climbed over the wall. 

          "He's already inside." Kazuha replied in their ears. "He took to the skies, that show-off."

          "Take care, Sweetie!" Yoske's muffled voice shouted.

          "Dogs," Ran groaned.

          "What?" Sonoko demanded.

          Ran pointed to the ground where a lot of fierce-looking Doberman were lurking around. 

          "I've got just the thing," Sonoko said. She then descended the wall. A few moments later, Ran saw Sonoko scaling the wall far away from her. Sonoko then took out something from her pocket and put it in her mouth.

          The dogs below perked their ears and started to go in Sonoko's general direction, barking all the way.

          Ran grinned. A doggie whistle. She took the opportunity to jump down inside the fortress. "So tell me where are the computer terminals located?" She asked Kazuha.

          "What are they after?" Hattori asked. "And how do we figure in it?"

          Miyagi grinned. "Well, the crux of our assignment is the pill that Kudo Shinichi swallowed."

          Ai, who had been quiet the whole exchanged, stirred. Though her face maintained her calm demeanor, Hattori noted that she had become deathly pale. "W-what about it?"

          Kazuha stared at her computer screen and grinned. Ran was happily hacking away in one of the in-house computer, letting loose a breed of new virus. Good. Their researches would be set back for a while.

          The wallet Kid had pilfered had come in handy as Ran used it to open a lot of rooms. It turned out that the man Sonoko and Kid had _picked up_ was quite a high-ranking scientist, as his ID was able to open a lot of doors.

          "Kid," Kazuha called out.

          "Yes, m'lady?" Kid drawled.

          Kazuha frowned. She has no visual on the Kid, only audio. "Yoshke said that the pills are probably on the basement, inside a vault. In order to open the vault, you would need a complete body scan. Yoshke said that most high-level scientist can open it if they needed a sample of the drug to work on. You've got the hologram projector I gave you."

          "Of course." Kid replied. "So all I have to do is project the image to myself while being scanned by the computer."

          "Of course, we don't know if our man was high enough to be able to open the vault." Kazuha said.

          "That's fine." Kid replied confidently. "What would life be without taking a few risks?"

          "That's odd," a man in black frowned as he stared into his computer.

          "What is?" His companion asked.

          "I thought that Rum left for the day,"

          "He did,"

          "Why then is his ID used to open the computer lab on the top floor and then three point four minutes later, he opened the vault on the basement?"

          "Wait. It's impossible to go from the top floor to the basement in under five minutes. It would take at least ten,"

          "And Rum had left for the day…"

          "INTRUDERS!"

          Ran grinned as alarms started sound all around her. She got what she came for. She can only hope that Kid was able to do the same. The virus Miyagi gave them had worked wonders. Within seconds, all the precious data that the organization collected over the years disappeared in a puff.

          Now all she got to do is get out of this place.

          "Ran and Kid did it!" Kazuha exclaimed triumphantly as she turned to Yoshke. "Now all they got to do is get out of the place." She gasped at what she saw.

          A large man wearing a black suit and sunglasses despite the darkness had stuck his hand inside the car and pointed a gun at Yoshke.

          "Get out of the car, now," he told the two.

          Dumbly, Kazuha and Yoshke complied, but not before Kazuha pressing the panic button and making sure that she was wearing her tracking device. _A lot of good that will do to you if you're dead._ She pushed that thought out of her head.

          A young woman not that much older than Kazuha met her outside the car. She, too, pointed a gun at Kazuha. "What are we going to do with them, Vodka?" The woman asked.

          "Vermouth wanted the girl." Vodka replied. "But this man," he indicated to Yoshke. "Is a traitor. You know what we do to a traitor, Brandy?"

          Kazuha's stomach turned at the murderous look in Brandy's eyes. "Yes," and without a warning, she fired her gun.

          Kazuha screamed as she ducked down instinctively. She felt tears running down her cheek. She can't believe it had come to this…

          "Very good, Brandy," Vodka said. 

          "What are we going to do with the body?" Brandy asked as she placed a bag in the backseat of the car. 

          "Aniki said to leave it. We won't have to worry about him," Vodka replied as he walked towards Kazuha and violently jerked her upright. "We'll just take her and go."

          "What about our laboratory?" 

          "We don't need it anymore." Vodka replied as he took out a remote control of some sort from his pocket. He pressed the button.

          Suddenly, the laboratory behind them exploded.

          Brandy grinned. "You certainly know how to please a woman," she said as she enjoyed the sight of rubble burning, not minding the defeaning noise the explosion made nor the sudden heat.

          "Ran!" Kazuha cried as she struggled to be freed from her captor.

          "She's gone now, darling," Brandy drawled. "You should've minded your own business, you know."

          "Ran," Kazuha's eyes were downcast. _Sonoko. Yoshke. Kid._ She can't believe, no, she refused to believe, that they were gone. Just seconds ago, she was celebrating their victory. But now…Her mind then turned to the omamori she always wore around her neck, hidden beneath her shirt. _Please, if I don't make it, please protect that idiot._

-tbc

P.S.

I hated cliffhangers when I read fanfics. And now, I'm doing it myself. But don't worry; you don't have to wait too long. Believe it or not, I'm half-done with the next chapter before I even wrote this one. Give me a week at the most.

P.P.S.

Oh, and since ff.net will be down on the 14th and the 15th, and I have a date (yeah, baby!) tomorrow, consider this as my pre-Valentines gift to everyone. **Happy hearts' day!**

P.P.P.S.

I just watched **Hero** starring Jet Li. It's good. I highly recommend it, if not for the story line, then for the cinematography. Jet Li (in the slim chance that you ever read my fic), _you rock my world!_


	13. The Fall

Disclaimer: 

The characters aren't mine. Just temporarily borrowing them.

A/N:

After talking to a few friends of mine, _Legolas_ included, I've decided not to change a single thing in chapter 9. However, it should be read in connection to this chapter…

Oh, and another thing. I wrote some profanities here. I'm sorry, but the occasion seems to call for it. Hope it'll be fine and that I didn't offend anyone.

And I'm not exactly in a jolly good mood when I wrote the second part of this chapter. I just found out that Channel 7 is taking off DC in favor of Voltes 5. Now, how am I going to watch DC?

Please review. **No flames please**, only constructive criticisms. Thanks in advance.

YunCyn:

Don't worry, I didn't kill anyone—yet. And about the Black Org and alcohol (grimaces), you're right. I'm actually running out of names for liquors, as I'm more familiar with the ladies' drink, and I don't think the Big, Bad, Black members of the Organization would like to be named after "sissy" drinks.

I hope your valentines day was as great as mine. 

Bluedetective:

Another Kazuha/Heiji fan, huh… Don't fail to read Chapter 14 and 15 then. It's coming really soon, I promise.

NYC0985:

Your reply is at the bottom. **Read it first**. Please. Because if you didn't like (that's an understatement) the previous chapters, then you're going to absolutely hate this.

**Chapter 13:**

**The Fall**

          "You're looking fine, Kudo-kun," Miyagi grinned. "Welcome back to the land of the tall people," he joked.

          Kudo glared at him as he unsteadily got on his feet. "Take me to where Ran is," he growled, but no sooner had he said that when he wobbled and almost fell.

          "Whoa, Kudo," Hattori admonished him as he steadied his Eastern counterpart to his feet. "I don't think you're in a position to go anywhere at all."

          "I'm very well rested," he insisted. "After all, all I did last night was lie down on the bed and grow."

          The ringing of Miyagi's phone interrupted their argument.

          Miyagi paled as he answered the phone. "Sonoko-chan, why aren't you calling me on my _other_ line?" He asked. 

          Miyagi frowned as he switched the phone to speaker, so that the detectives will not harm him bodily. "What's wrong?"

          "Yoshke's hurt," Sonoko cried. "They've taken Kazuha-chan. I'm scared, Ken-kun, but the paramedics are here. They've taken Yoshke-kun. What do I do now?"

          Hattori burst out when he heard that Kazuha was taken. "Who's taken her? Where did they go?" He demanded. He was close to freaking out as he grabbed Miyagi by the lapels of his jacket. He was close to snatching the phone away from Miyagi.

          "Let go," Miyagi said quietly. "Sonoko-chan, did you hear Hattori?" He asked after Hattoti released him.

          "Yes," Sonoko sobbed softly, shocked to the point where she didn't even ask Miyagi why on earth Hattori was with him. "One woman and one man took her. I think I know where. She's wearing a tracking device."

          "Where's Ran?" Kudo demanded in panic.

          Sonoko cried even louder. "I-I don't know!"

          "What?" Miyagi demanded. "Isn't she supposed to be in the Laboratory?"

          "T-the building," Sonoko hiccupped. "It blew up, I think Ran and the Kid were still inside when that happened…" her voice trailed off.

          "No!" Kudo exclaimed. "Ran's still alive," he insisted as he slowly fell on the couch. "Ran," he whispered softly. Wouldn't it be the greatest of ironies if Kudo Shinichi had finally come back, only to find that Mouri Ran was no longer there?

          "Kudo's right." Miyagi said. "Ran's still alive, running around somewhere. Kid wouldn't let anything happen to her." He said with more conviction that he actually felt.

          "What does the Kid have anything to do with this?" Kudo demanded. "And where is Ran? And what's the deal with exploding buildings?" 

          A woman stepped into the room where the great detective Mouri Kogoro was sleeping peacefully. "When's he going to wake up?" She asked.

          The man in the room seemed surprised that a woman of her caliber would actually talk to a lowly staff like him. "Uh, a-anytime soon," he stuttered.

          "Good," she said. "Make sure that he's comfortable when he does. He's going to raise an awful lot of racket." With that, the woman walked out of the room.

          "We've got the girl, aniki," Vodka grinned proudly at Gin.

          "She's not the one we preferred, but she would do nicely." Gin grinned.

          "So, what now?" Brandy asked. The relatively new and young operative of the Black Organization was being groomed to be one of the next generation of leaders. The red-haired beauty had taken a liking to Vodka, and much to Gin's irritation, Vodka seemed to like her back. "Can I go to her and _ask_ her a few _pointed_ questions?" She asked excitedly.

          Gin thought that it was the reason for her bonding with his _little brother_, their propensity towards pain and torture. That, and her slim figure, her short no-nonsense red hair, her grayish eyes, and her wide lips. Of course, the fact that she's always wearing miniskirts and boots doesn't hurt either.

          "Be my guest," Gin smirked. "Just don't kill her. Not yet."

          Brandy grinned maliciously. She turned to Vodka flirtatiously. "Wanna come with?"

          Vodka grinned back at her and followed her to the room where they kept the teenage girl with the bad mouth and the Osaka accent.

          Gin almost rolled his eyes as he heard a bloodcurdling scream moments later. That Brandy girl was worse than Vermouth, teasing and flirting with Vodka like that. The only thing he didn't understand was why on earth was Vodka flirting right back?

          "We're not going anywhere until Sonoko-chan gets here," Miyagi said authoritatively. "So we might as well get some rest."

          "Is she on her way here then?" Professor Agasa demanded nervously as he looked at Kudo who was fast asleep on the couch, exhausted after his transformation. On the other hand, Haibara was back in the lab after some prompting from Miyagi. He wanted her to develop some more of the medication she injected to Kudo, just in case…

          "No," Miyagi replied. "But she will be in the morning."

          "What?" Hattori stood up and began pacing the room. "Do you expect us to just wait here, twiddling our thumbs?"

          "Uh, maybe I should fix us a snack first," Professor Agasa shot in nervously as he felt the tension in the air thicken. "I'll be right back." He fled to the kitchen.

          "No," Miyagi replied, coldly. "I expect you to get some rest. You'll need the energy tomorrow, believe me."

          "Why should we follow you?" Hattori whirled around as he grabbed Miyagi by the lapels of the latter's shirt. "I say we get Sonoko and search for Kazuha and Neechan,"

          Miyagi wriggled out of Hattori's grasp. "I've got four people in my care," he glared at Hattori. "One is shot and is in the hospital. One is captured. One is missing. If I can save even just one of them, then I'll do all that it takes. Sonoko-chan is in no condition to be interrogated, Hattori. She's in shock and she's also injured."

          Hattori almost smirked. "I'll say you're not a very good leader then," he taunted the older man.

          "Probably not," Miyagi admitted. "But I am a good strategist. That's why I've factored you in for a time such as this."

          "So why aren't we doing anything?" Hattori crossed his arms to keep himself from teaching Miyagi a lesson about messing with Kazuha.

          "Because right now, we can't do anything." Miyagi replied. "However, half the resources of my organization are tracing the faint signals Kazuha's transmitter is giving. The other half is determining whether or not Ran and Kid were able to get out of the building,"

          "But we're wasting time. What if Kazuha—" 

          "If they want Kazuha-chan dead, we would've saw her beside Yoshke-kun." Miyagi glared at Hattori. _Such stubbornness would've been an asset to their organization_. "Now, get some rest."

          Kazuha stuggled to get up, but she was battered and bruised from her earlier trip. They had stopped for a short while where they stripped her of her gadgets, her omamori, and her tracking device. She had lost hope that they would find her, especially now that Ran was…

          No, she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

          "Oh, look, she's awake," the shorthaired bimbo drawled as her large companion closed the door after him.

          Kazuha muttered something uncomplimentary in reply.

          "A sharp mouth," the girl said without missing a beat. "Let's teach that mouth a lesson, shall we?"

          Kazuha's heart pounded as she saw the girl bring out a sharp knife from her belt, her companion leaning on the wall and crossing his arms with a look of satisfaction on his face.

          She braced herself from the pain as the girl slowly advanced towards her…

          Kudo slowly woke up at the sound of someone stirring beside him. "Ran!" He bolted upright.

          "Sorry, but no." Came the calm reply.

          "Haibara?" Kudo groaned as he realized where he was, on the professor's couch, sleeping. "I can't believe I fell asleep at a time like this," immediately awake, he swung his legs off the couch. "Where are they?" 

          "Resting." Ai sat down on the space Kudo had just vacated. "And it's also the body's natural reaction, after what you went through. According to Hattori-kun, you would make a move tomorrow."

          "Oh," Kudo glanced at the girl beside him. 

          "Something's bothering you."

          "You mean besides Ran's disappearance?" 

          "You know what I mean."

          "Yeah." Kudo nodded. "Something like that."

          "Your insanely inquisitive mind is wondering why I trusted them enough to make a cure with them," 

          Kudo turned to the scientist beside him. "Yeah. We all know you have trust issues,"

          "I just figured that there comes a point in a person's life where she just got to start trusting people," Ai almost grinned. "It's a number of reasons actually. First there was Mouri-san. She _asked _me. She knows who I am, and yet, there she was, asking, no, _pleading _for me to make that cure for her." She sighed. "I've cost her so much pain, Kudo-kun. First with what my drug did with you, then with getting her involved in the Black Organization, and yet she was acting as if she was asking me for a favor.  And it's also the fact that if I said no, she won't bother me again. I may be cold, Kudo-kun, but I do have a conscience. I know I owe her that cure.

          "And then there the fact I was losing hope of finding a cure for you. And they were offering me a lifeline, a new lease on my experiment. I knew you were getting tired of that body. And I realized that I can't do it with the limited equipment and chemicals that I have. Not only have they offered me another brilliant mind to work with, they also offered to supply all the things I need.

          "Of course, there was Yoshke-kun. I know him from when I was still with _them._ He's painfully naïve. I didn't know how he did it, but he maintained his innocence even after working with the Black Organization his whole life. Would you believe that he didn't know that the organization that raised him was evil, or that his experiments were being used for evil? It didn't come as a surprise for me that he turned traitor. He probably found out what they actually do to his scientific findings." Ai didn't bother to mention about how Yoshke was so enamored with Ran. Or the fact that she was terrified to learn that they got to Yoshke, and she thinks that it'll only be a matter of time before they get to her…

          "Hairbara, you're leaving?" Kudo's eyes widened at the bags the miniature scientist had packed. 

          "They couldn't protect him," she whispered.

          Kudo grasped the girl's arm. "If you leave, you'll only make yourself more vulnerable,"

          Ai squeezed her eyes shut. That was part of the reason she wanted to leave. The other one was sitting before her. He was also one of the reasons she agreed to develop the cure with them.

          And now he was back to his original self, and _she_ knows who he really is. He has no need to hide anything from _her_. Ai knew that her role as confidante and doctor would no longer be needed. He would now protect _her_. And Ai thinks that she won't be able to take that development in their lives.

          She would rather leave them first that have _him_ leave her.

          "Don't leave. If their protection won't be enough, and we will protect you,"

          Vermouth poured herself a flask of the most expensive wine that this side of the world could offer. She took deep, calming breaths. She squeezed her eyes shut as she grasped the flask tightly. 

          _Mouri Ran._

_          Suzuki Sonoko._

_          Toyama Kazuha._

          "Dammit!" She screamed as she threw the flask she was holding to the wall with all her might.

          Three girls outwitted her. She was a professional, dammit.

          Someone knocked on the door. 

          Vermouth carefully placed her calm mask back on. "Come in," she said neutrally.

          The new girl, Brandy, walked in. Vermouth saw the younger girl look at her surroundings. If she noticed the broken glass and the spilled wine on the floor she didn't let on.

          "Did she say where they took the Pandora Gem?" Vermouth asked.

          Brandy snorted. "That one's a toughie," she smirked. "But I enjoy playing with her. Just give me a little more time, and I'll—uh—_coax_ it out of her."

          Vermouth almost shuddered, almost, but not quite. _Such a cold, cold heart for someone so young. Ah, youth these days, you'll never know what to expect._

          "I heard that you took care of one of them,"

          "The long-haired one. We saw her enter the lab. Never had the chance to get out though," a look of pure bliss crossed the brunette's face, like she was enjoying picturing the image of the teenager burning to a crisp in that building. 

          "There's one more, a blond."

          "Nope." Brandy frowned. "Never saw her."

          "Our informants told me that she's taken to the hospital, along with the traitor." She pushed a slip of paper towards Brandy. "I expect you to take care of things on that end."

          Brandy grinned as she glanced at the paper. It was a name of a hospital and two room numbers.

          "I'm going to tie up the _other_ end." Vermouth finally smiled. "And make sure not to kill the Osakan girl. I would need her later."

          "Alright."

          "You may now go."

          Brandy bowed before walking out of the room, the piece of paper clutched protectively in her hand.

          "It's almost nine," Hattori glared at Miyagi.

          "I know that," Miyagi snapped.

          "So where is she?" Hattori adopted a threatening stance, ready to pounce on Miyagi if the latter so much as answered him the wrong way.

          "She's in the hospital." Miyagi told him slowly. "Did you expect her to be here bright and early at five in the morning?"

          Hattori actually had. He expected Suzuki-san to be there precisely at six, tell them about what happened, brainstorm a little, and be out of the good professor's house at seven. And that had been his worst-case scenario. But no! It's now ten to ten in the morning, without the slightest indication that the girl was coming.

          "How about this, we all go to the hospital. Her injuries might be worse than I initially thought." Miyagi suggested. In truth, he was also beginning to get worried. But he'd be damned if he tells Hattori that.

          "That's the first good plan that came out of your mouth since I've met you," Hattori shook his head and wandered off to get Kudo.

          Kudo stared at Haibara's back. She was on the kitchen table, playing with her breakfast.

          Haibara nodded. "I'll be fine," 

          "And you won't run away?"

          "What does it matter if I go or not?" She snapped at him. "You got the cure. I assure you that you won't regress. And even if you do, you now have Yoshke-kun to help you."

          Kudo walked closer to the scientist and placed a hand on her shoulder. He noticed that she stiffened at his touch. "It's not that. I prefer for you to be here so at least I know that you're safe."

          _Could it be?_ Ai shook herself. _Impossible_. _He loves her, not me_. But, there's hope, even just a sliver of it…

          "I'm your friend, Haibara." Kudo told her. "And I worry about you a lot."

          _My friend._

          "Your Ran's friend too," he added. "Your sister's death broke her heart. It'll break again if you disappear. And blame me for not taking care of you."

          It's_ her again._ "Stop it!" Ai suddenly stood up, her chair tipping over in the process. "Enough. I'm not going anywhere. Is that what you want to hear? Now go away and save your princess!" With that, she stalked out of the room.

          She left Kudo thinking that he shouldn't have brought up her sister.

          "She's what?" Hattori demanded, the level of his voice rising above the acceptable standards in hospitals.

          "She's gone, sir," the pretty nurse nervously cleared her throat. Three men had barged in the hospital room of the incoherent blond that was brought in last night. They had an aura about them, like they were out for blood. The three of them looked attractive, if not for their menacing stances. Of course, the fact that the darkest-skinned of them had suddenly started shouting didn't help alleviate her fears. "We came to check up on her this morning, but she was gone. We thought that the night staff had discharged her because her files are also gone."

          Hattori turned to Miyagi. "Great. Now what?"

          And for the first time, the great strategist was at lost as to what to do.

-tbc

P.S.

Ah! Men! They don't have a clue, do they?

P.P.S.

The stuff written below is for a particular reviewer. S/he did not leave an e-mail address so I have no way of contacting that person, but I feel like I need to defend myself. So please, please, if you're not the person concerned, don't read the reply below. It's not something that I'm proud of, but s/he did raise an interesting point. I just have to answer that person…

To NYC0985:

OK, someone feels strongly about things… I guess a long review needs a long reply.

First of all, if you really think this fanfic sucked, why read the update at all? I mean, why do you even care if I reply or not? And unless you're a genius (I assume that you would be since you insist on calling me a moron; hey, you don't even know me) I doubt that simply _scanning_ chapters 11 and 12 would bring you to your very insightful criticism (and I'm not being sarcastic). But if you are the genius that you appear to be, then I give my sincerest apologies. **And**if you just read chapters 1 and 2, then I don't think that you would have the right to review my fic. You didn't even give me the chance to redeem myself.

Secondly, if you took the time off to read my author's note, you would notice that I asked if I got the correct meaning of VIRUS. I **knew** that the element R was missing, and like you, I assumed that it was the R in information.

As for my version of Shinichi's cure, let me begin by saying that** it is not a cure**. It is a totally different drug that would accelerate the growth processes of the body. And it does not necessarily follow that if Ai was the creator, then she would be the best person to find the cure. Plus, didn't I state (and reiterated) that she was frustrated? That's enough of a reason for me to abandon all previous work and _start from scratch_, as you've put it. Failure is very frustrating, especially for smart people (I'm not claiming that I am one, mind you) because things always come easy for them. But if you've never felt like that, then I guess you'd never understand.

And I strongly object to your interpretation of the APTX pill. It changes not only the physical appearance, but the age as well. In the first few episodes of DC, in a kidnapping case, Conan was able to track down the kidnapper. Unfortunately, he was **physically weak, **unable to neither save the kidnap victim nor defend himself, for he was **stuck in the body of a six-year old**. That was why he needed gadgets like his shoes and his suspenders (I don't know how it's correctly translated, the translation here in our country sounds peculiar, and not in a good way). I also believe that Conan has the brain structure of a six-year old (that turned 7 in the first movie). However, his memories as _Shinichi_ remained intact. Young Shinichi was a genius the first time around. It is possible that structurally, his brain is that of a child, but it retained the contents of his former life.  The human brain is a complicated thing, is it not? Plus, I learned in Pysch 101 that a child actually has the potential for more knowledge and more memories. But since I'm not really well versed in biology, I would have to stop here. And if I may exploit the _Jack_ analogy, the movies' main character's brain was physically forty or so, but his **mental** age was that of an adolescent. Therefore, the mental age of the brain does not necessarily follow its physical age. I worked under the assumption that like the rest of his body, Conan's brain was aged 7 but his mentality remained intact at age 17. After all, in my fic, the purpose of creating the APTX was to alter one's physical age only. So it only makes sense thatI interpreted it that way.

Plus, **I never posed myself to be clever.** This is fan**fiction**, not science hour. Stretch your imagination a little. I never said that my version of Shinichi's return was the best or the most scientific or the most probable. I simply wanted it to have a twist, and I wanted to give my OC a relevant part in the story because I would need it for later.

As for your version of VIRUS, well, aside for the grammatical error, it's cute. How long did it take for you to come up with it (wait, don't answer, it's a hypothetical question)?

That's my take on it, and I don't really care if you agree with me or not. It's my fic. I live in a free country. I've placed the disclaimer **and** I never claimed to be a Conan expert.

One request? Don't reply to this anymore. I would simply erase your reviews in the future. I distinctively remember (and I actually checked) that in chapter 12, I specifically said that I want no flames, only constructive criticisms.

And I really doubt calling a person a moron would count as constructive criticism. 

But if you would really like to comment more on my style of writing (or lack thereof), then I strongly suggest that you e-mail me, so that I can e-mail the reply to you so that I wouldn't have to answer through posting here. Let's just keep the moron comments between the two of us, shall we? Or at the very least log-in (that way I wouldn't be able to delete your reviews) **and** post a version of what a good fanfic ought to be, one that isn't an _unoriginal drivel that is trite and boring_, nor _completely unrealistic and totally alters the personalities of the DC characters_ (I actually have an excuse for this one: it's because I don't know them well. I've kept on writing in my A/N that my resources on DC are very limited, not that it would excuse me, but I think that it would count at least as a mitigating circumstance).

If this piece offends you so, do the both of us a favor, **please don't read it**. It would save you time and effort, and me heartaches and space. Thanks. Hope that from this point on, our paths will not cross again.


	14. The Knights Who Came Too Late

Disclaimer: 

Don't ask; don't tell.

A/N:

You only have to bear with me for a little while longer…Besides this one, I think I can wrap this baby up in three chapters, plus one bonus one (a chap that's not really relevant to the story line but I wanted to write anyway).

I am now working as fast as I possibly can, squeezing writing this thing before my schedule reaches a feverish pitch…finals is just around the corner (shudders). I wanna finish this before that time comes…don't need the distraction (sigh), and this fic is certainly distracting me.

And if there are parts that, well, you know, sucked, it's because I'm not inspired. Taking DC off the air is beginning to take its toll on me. I sorta have a one-track mind, you know, out of sight, out of mind. Sigh. I better start looking for those DC movies then…

And I just realized one severe oversight—I failed to write in the **Detective Boys** (it's actually known as _The Junior Detective Squad_ here in the Philippines). Grr…

Oh, yeah, this chapter is for **YunCyn** and **bluedetective. **I did promise you guys a dose of Heiji-Kazuha mush, didn't I? Well, it's coming right up, though probably not in the form you'd expect it to be. OK, I just reread what I've written, it's not exactly mush, but it has tender moments where Hattori reflects on his friendship with Kazuha. More next chapter, I promise.

I'll make another promise…I'll finish this fic **before March 1.** As in. Because come March, I'm going to lock up the computer and begin studying for finals. It's on the first week of April. Wish me luck!

YunCyn:  
Thanks for the review again, thank you for making me feel that I've somehow succeeded in my aim of making this fic suspenseful. I'm a diehard Ran**x**Shinichi fan, but we _Pinoys_ tend to root for the underdog, that's why I also feel for Ai. Thanks for the compliment about the way I handled the flame. Now if only I could be like that in real life…

But now you've got me curious about your 'old stories.' I'm reading your current one (I like it, by the way. Though I really can't wait until the murder, don't let me rush you. Take your time in building up the story.), but do you have more? May I see them then? Thanks.

Bluedetective:

Thanks for being with me every step of the way. Did you know that you're my first reviewer? 

The Miyagi/Akai thingy will be explained soon, very soon. =) Can't tell you more than that or else I'd ruin the whole suspense thing.

As for the Slam Dunk question, I do have one, but I've written it when I was younger and it's horrible, not to mention undone. After I finish this fic, I **might** dig up its diskette, rewrite it a bit, and then I'll **think** about posting it. And no, it's not about spies. Plus I also find it hard to write in SD not only because I suck at writing from a male POV, I absolutely have no experience in writing about yaoi relationships and I'm having second thoughts about adding an OC (gotta have romance in there somewhere, right?).

(My 2 cents worth: In Slam Dunk, they can all have Rukawa, Sendoh, Fujima, Mitsui, and even Sakuragi. My all-time crushes in it will always be Maki (loved the color of his skin and that mole on his face) and Miyagi (hence, the name of last name of Ken-kun in my fic).

Ryo Hoshi:

Thank you for the defense and the answer to my question *insert huge grin* Thank you, thank you, thank you.

**Erratum!** According to **Ryo Hoshi** (thanks again! I'm eternally grateful!), VIRUS (like in computers) is not an acronym. It was coined from the term virus in biology. As the virus make our body sick, a computer virus causes computer malfunction. But as I liked what Virus stood for in Chapter 12, I think I'm going to keep it (that and the fact that I'm too lazy to think of a new title). 

**Chapter 14:**

The Knights Who Came Too Late 

          "Great. Now what?"

          "Nurse, did she come in with another patient?" Kudo turned to the nurse, ignoring the bickering between Hattori and Miyagi. "Male, about this tall," he indicated with his hands. "Gunshot wound,"

          The nurse nodded, grateful that the least intimidating of the three had finally spoken up. The man with the piercing blue eyes looked tired, sick even. She wondered what someone like him was doing with the two scary-looking fellahs. "Yes, sir. He was in the ICU last night, but the doctors were able to stabilize him. He's still unconscious, though. "

          "Can we see him then?" Kudo asked.

          "I need to see some ID, then." The nurse said. It was protocol, for that certain patient at least. The men who had brought the two patients last night were _different_ and required a different set of procedure. For one thing, the hospital staff was taught not to ask questions not related to the patients' conditions. The patients they brought were immediately wheeled into the secured wing of the hospital, which they have exclusive use. They were always prioritized. And if anyone wanted to visit, the nurses were trained to always ask for ID. In exchange for not asking questions or talking about the patients outside the hospital, some mysterious entity donates a yet undisclosed, yet very substantial, amount of money to the hospital. And the nurses always find a very hefty _bonus_ in their paycheck if they do their roles just right.

          Miyagi heard and turned to the nurse. "Here," he said as he took off a small plastic card that was hanging as a pendant on the chain around his neck.

          The nurse took it and walked behind the nurse station. She swiped it on a machine. The light turned green. "You're approved." She smiled at them. "Follow me."

          "Did you get the girl?" Vermouth entered the room Vodka and Brandy were in.

          Brandy, who was lounging lazily on the couch, grinned. "Of course," 

          "Good." Vermouth grinned. "Did you leave my message?"

          Brandy nodded. "Don't worry about it. I took care of everything last night."

          "It's their move, then." Vermouth rubbed her hands in anticipation. She would very much like to see Cool Guy and his Western counterpart soon. Gin was beginning to get boring.

          "Yoshke-kun," Miyagi whispered as he saw the unconscious man on the hospital bed with a hundred tubes attached to his body. His lower abdomen was wrapped with clean bandages.

          "Flowers," Kudo suddenly muttered.

          "What?"

          "Someone sent in flowers." Hattori filled in as he stepped closer to the table holding an elaborate bouquet of flowers. "Your men sent these?"

          Miyagi shook his head.

          "I don't think it's hospital policy to give flowers to patients." Kudo frowned. "He doesn't have family or friends, right? So who could've known? Who could've sent these?"

          "Kudo!" Hattori called as he took the card that came with the flowers.

          Kudo took the card. 

          "There's nothing written on it," Miyagi frowned as he looked over the detective's shoulder.

          "No, but it has the name of the flower shop," Hattori responded. "We start from there."

          Kudo nodded. "It's probably a trap, but right now, it's our only link. We take what we can."

          "Well, I leave you guys to your detective skills." Miyagi said thoughtfully. "I'll go back to our HQ and find out what I can."

          "Alright," Kudo agreed, not wanting to admit that he was relieved that Miyagi wouldn't tag along. He believes that Miyagi would only get in their way, not to mention on Hattori's nerves. "Inform us immediately if you learn of new developments."

          "Keep you updated in case I find out about Ran-chan's whereabouts and Kazuha-chan's condition." Miyagi smiled. "Check. I'll do just that." He reached into his pocket. "Here, you can reach me through that phone."

          "What? No videophone in the form of watches?" Hattori couldn't help but mock.

          "We usually use earrings," Miyagi tossed back offhandedly. "But I don't think it'll look good on you,"

Kazuha can't feel her body anymore. She was bound. Bruises covered her body. But she thinks the worse is over.

          Then someone opened the door to the room where she was detained.

          "I see your awake," a sweet, feminine voice said. It was the redhead from last night. 

          Kazuha didn't say anything, but she did scramble to sit up.

          "I just wanted to tell you personally that our scientist friend is still breathing," the redhead grinned. "And I left a message for your boyfriend."

          Kazuha glared at her. She wanted to say something smart in return but her throat was dry.

          "And your breakfast is coming in a few moments, don't worry, it's not poisoned." The redhead assured her. "They still need you alive."

          "Oh, yes, she said you'd be here." The employee of the flower shop smiled at them as she led them straight to the counter. "She left something for you,"

          Kudo and Hattori had marched straight to the flower shop whose address was written on the card. Once there, they wasted no time in inquiring about the flowers that was bought earlier. They were in luck.

          "Can you tell me who bought the flowers?" Hattori asked.

          The employee frowned. "Don't you know?" She halted, halfway reaching behind the counter. "Are you sure we're talking about the same bouquet here?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

          "Yes, yes." Hattori immediately replied. "It's just that, uh, we want to know which one of _them_ bought it,"

          Kudo nodded, wishing he were still Conan. That way, the lady would be less suspicious. After all, who could doubt a seven-year old. He immediately banished the thought as quickly as it came. 

          "Oh," the smile was back on her face. "You want to know which of your girlfriend bought the flowers." She looked at them knowingly.

          The two detectives blushed. If only things were that simple.

          The saleslady smiled at them. "To be young and in love," she winked conspiratorially. "She was as tall as I am. Slim. Redhead, gray eyes,"

          Kudo frowned. _Doesn't sound like someone we know, must be someone new_.

          "Aha!" The lady exclaimed triumphantly as she held out something in her hand.

          Kudo watched as Hattori turned deathly pale.

          On the lady's hand was Kazuha's omamori.

          "Hello?" Hattori barked into his handy phone. "What d'ya want?"

          "No," a high-pitched voice purred into his ears. "The correct question is what do _you_ want,"

          "Vermouth," the name was like bile in his mouth.

          Kudo's head bobbed up.

          Ai paled. Her hands unconsciously grasped the sofa she was sitting on.

          After the incident at the flower shop, the detectives had gone home to Professor Agasa's house hoping that Miyagi was back with news, _any_ news. But he was not. And so they waited.

          Vermouth's laughter rang on the phone lines. "Nice to know that I didn't have to introduce myself anymore, makes things much more convenient."

          "Where's Kazuha?"

          Kudo indicated to Hattori to put the call on speaker.

          However, Hattori was too preoccupied to interpret Kudo's signals. He turned his back on his friend and gripped the phone tighter. He's got to save Kazuha, he's just got to.

          "Straight to the point, aren't we?" Vermouth asked. 

          "I don't like playing games."

          "Oh, that's just too bad."

          "Where is she?" The voice had become hard.

          "Oh, well. You're no fun." Vermouth told him. "If you want to see her, go to the Christy Towers on the other side of town tonight. If you must, you can bring Cool Guy with you, in fact, I absolutely insist that he comes. But if you bring anymore friends, then I'm going to kill your girlfriend." She laughed. "I'll be waiting," she purred just before she hung up.

          "What did she say?"

          The hours of waiting was worse than any forms of torture Hattori could think of. He wanted to storm into the Towers and save Kazuha. But he knew that doing that would only make things worse, especially for Kazuha.

          _Regrets_.

          Now he knew about Conan's feeling of regrets. Like Kudo, he assumed that Kazuha would always be right there beside him. He never appreciated her, never told her how much she meant to him, never told her how he felt…_How he felt_…

          But how does he feel?

          Kazuha was like a sister to him, one he never had. They grew up together, they shared everything together. She knew him best of all. That's what she was. She said it herself. A sister.

          But now that she's gone, he found himself promising that when he gets her back, he's going to do something about their relationship. He doesn't know why, but he was dead certain that he didn't want her for a sister anymore.

          He wanted to be her savior. He wanted to save her and become her knight. He wanted to be the prince to wake her up from whatever nightmares they were inflicting upon her. He wanted to be her lov—

          "Hattori," Kudo interrupted his companion's musings. "Did she say that I could come with you?"

          Hattori nodded. "She said Cool Guy could come."

          Kudo cursed. "She knows." He groaned. "She knows that I'm back in my body."

          "This is it," Kudo declared grimly. "This is the place."

          Hattori looked up to the old, abandoned building. They were on the seediest part of town. Just walking to the old building was a danger in itself. The streets were unlit and crawling with drunk men who would pick a fight at the flimsiest of reasons.

          Christy Towers was a joke.  Its owner, a foreigner, must've had a nasty sense of humor. For one thing, it wasn't really a tower, unless you could call three floors a tower. In the past, it was used as a nightclub of sorts, but since it wasn't exactly in a prime location, it bombed. The owner had to mortgage the property in order to cover some expenses. Unfortunately, it foreclosed. Now, a bank owned the place. The building was in shambles. It seemed to be the perfect place for what Vermouth had in mind. 

_Murder…_

          "Let's go in," Kudo's voice was grim.

          The two entered a large empty room with a broken bar on the north side. The windows of the place were barred with wooden planks. The ceiling was low and cracked. A ruined staircase was to their right. There was a door to their left.

          "We're here," Hattori announced impatiently. "Show yourselves."

          "Welcome," a voice announced. From the door came Vermouth.

          Blond, beautiful Vermouth. She looked like a goddess, an angel even, if not for the murderous look in her eyes.

          "Where's Kazuha?" Hattori demanded as Kudo held him back from his attack.

          Hattori gripped his katana.

          Vermouth smirked. "In due time. I want to talk."

          "Show her first before we talk." Came the mandate.

          "You impress me," Vermouth tossed her hair. "I hold all the cards and yet you have the guts to make demands."

          "We'll talk, Vermouth, but only after you show that she's safe." Kudo cut in before Hattori could make a comment that he'll later regret.

          "Oh, very well," Vermouth conceded, sounding like a little kid instead of the woman she really is. "Vodka! Brandy! Bring her out."

          Kudo's heart constricted as he saw one of the men who was responsible for the months he lost as Conan.

          The large man was gripping Kazuha, dragging the girl out of the room Vermouth came from.

          Kazuha looked _dead._ Her eyes were closed, her clothes tattered. She was bloody, bruised. Wounds covered her arms and legs, even her face. Vodka was the only thing keeping her up.

          "What have you done with her?" Hattori growled.

          "We just had a little too much fun," the redhead, Brandy, who walked out with Vodka replied gleefully as she brandished a gun and pointed it straight at Hattori's heart. Kudo deduced that she was the woman who left the omamori at the flower shop. 

          "Why you little—" once again, Hattori was constrained by Kudo.

          "Can we talk now?" Vermouth asked in a bored tone.

          "Wait, where's Ran and Sonoko?" Kudo demanded.

          Vermouth laughed. "One girl at a time." She said. "First, we talk, and then you can have Kazuha. Then, after you give us what we want, then you get the Suzuki girl."

          "How about Ran?" 

          Brandy grinned. "The brunette's dead."

          Kudo cursed them. "I don't believe you. Where is she?"

          "Well, she might be dead, she might be with us," Vermouth sighed. "Give us what we want, then you'll know for sure."

          "What do you want?" Hattori spoke through gritted teeth.

          "All we want is the Pandora Stone, the Immortality Gem." Vermouth replied. "And the formula for the pills and its cure."

          "What?" Kudo frowned. "We don't have the Pandora Stone."

          "Then find it!" Vermouth's voice had become stone-cold. "Your girlfriend stole it. She's keeping it somewhere. We want it. You figure out where she hid it."

          _Ran…_

          "OK, conversation's over now, give them the girl, Vodka." Vermouth announced. "You have one week to find the gem, if not, we kill our hostages."

          Vodka unceremoniously pushed Kazuha so that she fell in the space between them.

          Hattori immediately rushed forward to catch her fall. "Kazuha!"

          She felt so cold. 

          "Kazuha," he shook her gently.

          Vermouth and Brandy seemed content and amused at the show before them.

          "Kazua," Hattori tried to wake her, his voice louder this time.

          But there were too many wounds, too much blood.

          She wouldn't wake up, couldn't wake up.

          "Kazuha!" Hattori cried as he tenderly held the limp body in his arms. 

          "What have you done to her?" Kudo demanded.

          "You're the detective," Brandy sneered. "Figure it out."

          One word flitted into Kudo's mind. _Torture._ They couldn't get out the location of the gem from Kazuha, that's why they did that to her. And that's why they were willing to deal with the detectives.

          They would stop at nothing to get that stone.

          "What have you done?" Hattori asked softly.

          Brandy stepped forward. She snorted. "If only she told me what I wanted to know in the first place, then she would still be whole tonight."

          Hattori reached into his pocket. He brought out Kazuha's omamori. "I'm sorry I came too late," he whispered as he placed the charm around her neck. He laid her gently on the floor. "You're gonna pay for what you've done to her!" Hattori stated as took his katana that he dropped on the floor and stood up.

          Brandy looked straight at Hattori. Vodka and Vermouth seemed content to just watch.

          "My, my," Brandy said with a laugh. "Looks like detective boy here is out to avenge his damsel in distress."

          "Careful, love, we need him alive." Vodka spoke for the first time.

          "Kazuha's not a damsel in distress." Hattori bit out as his knuckles turned white from gripping his katana too tight.

          "And you're no knight in shining armor either." Brandy sneered. "Who ever heard of a knight coming too late?"

          Vermouth laughed at that.

          "Shut up!" Hattori said.

          Kudo walked to Kazuha. He checked for a pulse. _Weird._ "Hattori," Kudo began.

          "Why do you even want to save her?" Brandy asked, interrupting whatever it was Kudo was saying. "She's too uptight, she talks too much. And the two of you always argue. Let's face it; she just cramps your style. Why don't you look for someone who would support you?" She smiles flirtatiously at him.

          "Because I love her!" The words were out of his mouth even before he realized what he was saying. "Not that you'd understand something like that," with that, he attacked.

          "Hattori, wait!" Kudo jumped up, too late to stop his friend.

          But Vodka had placed himself between Brandy and the rampaging Hattori. Vodka waved a hand.

          To everyone's surprise, with a puff of smoke, Hattori's katana turned into a bouquet of long-stemmed roses.

          Hattori grinded to a screeching halt.

          Kudo's eyes narrowed. _Wait a minute, roses?_

-tbc

P.S.

What's the difference between **x** and **+** (example, Heiji**x**Kazuha as opposed to Heiji**+**Kazuha)? Thanks, and pardon my ignorance. I'm sorta a late bloomer in the Internet thingies.

P.P.S.

I just don't know how to write good mush. Help!

P.P.P.S.

I was just reading my A/N above…why does it sound as if this is my last chapter? It's not. sigh It must have something to do with not seeing DC on TV everyday anymore.


	15. Phobos and Demos

Disclaimer: 

Nope. They don't belong to me, except Yoshke, but I don't want him. I want Kudo. 

A/N:

_Phobos_ and _Demos_ are the moons of Mars. They also mean _fear _and _panic _respectively. Ah, the things you learn in a game show. =)

Hookey…In this chapter I tell what happened to Ran and the Kid. I suppose no one thought that I'd kill them, after all the main characters don't get killed, or if they are killed, it isn't until the end of the story. Or something.

Oh, and **violence alert, violence alert**…someone gets killed in this chapter…

Well, anyway, keep in mind that I've **alternated** between Ran and the Kid (which happened **one night before**), then going back to where I left off in the last chapter. 

I remand my earlier promise…I was just looking at the calendar and became aware how near the first week of March is. I forgot that February only has 28 days…Grrr…So this is my final resolve…**I will post Chapter 17** (my final chapter) **on or before March 10**. Then I would take a Sabbatical, to return after my finals week. Sorry about that.

Sigh. Okay.

Minako:

Thanks!

You're pretty perceptive. You'll get some of the answers in this chapter. As for Kogoro, well, believe it or not, I actually _like_ his character. He's funny. So, I hesitate on killing him. And I will include Eri in the end. She has a special part to play. Keep reading!

YunCyn:

Mulan, huh? I just might pop a visit in the cartoons section of ff.net later (as in after finals, btw, thanks for wishing me luck!). =) 

Loved that movie too. Shang is sooo dreamy, though I absolutely adored the dragon (Wushu, I think his name is). Thanks for the compliments! Oh, yeah, more H/K moments in here somewhere, buried underneath all the violence. 

Bluedetective:

I think thanks are yet again in order…

Your review _almost_ convinced me of posting my SD fic (operative word being almost). But I don't need any review to tell me that it stinks. And I promised myself that I won't post anything until after finals. So I'm still thinking about it. Another Maki fan, huh? Do they look evil? I don't know, I'm just too smitten with the Kanagawa MVP to think anything but good thoughts about him. I just love athletes!

Well, anyway, keep on reading. The end is almost near! Miyagi's true color would be revealed in due time.

M:

Thank you for the nice review! I think writers do cliffhangers to ensure that readers would read their next installment (well, that and the fact that they just ran out of ideas). Of course I'm not punishing you! =) Um, to answer your update question, since I have a self-imposed deadline, I'd usually update on Monday mornings (I mean **very** early in the morning, usually at 1 am) and Friday afternoons. Today is Monday, so most probably, I'll update on Friday. And it would take 24 hours at the most before ff.net can upload it. Hope to hear from you again!

Kazuha:

Hey, I didn't know you were French. I dream of going to France (but that's beside the point, right?)…

Anyway, I totally agree with you that the only way a writer can know if s/he wrote badly is through feedback. But can't flamers do that in a nice way?

Your review, for instance. You're nice, I like you. When I did something wrong, you told me so but in a way that would make me do something about it. In contrast with the flame I received, even if s/he did raise some valid points, all I wanted to do was to answer his accusations immediately without thinking about the story. I wish some reviewers could be more like you. 

About the swiftness the girls became spies, I attempted to explain that in Chapter 4. Miyagi chose them because they already had their own special abilities, so they were only trained for half a year. And their first real case was given a few months after that. They were only runners (for lack of a better term) at first, you know hired people to pick up equipment and the like for their superiors. And at the end of this fic, I would reveal exactly why they were given such a huge assignment (ie. The Black Organization). Plus, I wanted to keep up with the timeline in the anime. 

Don't worry, I think that Heiji would come through…

Hope my answer's satisfactory! 

Chapter 15: Phobos and Demos 

          Kid groaned after he opened the vault. They instructed them to get the pills. What they didn't tell him was that the vault was full of them. So which one was he supposed to take again? With a sigh, he stepped back. _Might as well take all of them_, he decided. With a snap of his fingers, all the pills inside the vault disappeared. _Ah, the advantages of being a magician_. He grinned unto himself. He briefly wondered how Mouri-san was doing when something caught his attention. It was a black box of some sort, half-hidden behind the vault.

          _A bomb!_

          He gingerly inspected it. There was no timer, meaning it's possibly triggered by remote or by applying pressure on it or something. Well, he wasn't going to wait and find out. He better get out of the place, but first, he got to find Mouri-san.

          He was halfway up the building when the alarms went off.

          Ran grinned as the piercing sound of the alarm ringing sliced through the silence. _About time they found us out. And they call this a high tech lab_. The things people overlook because of their unwavering faith in technology. 

          She adjusted her white lab gown as she descended down the stairs calmly, acting like she belonged in the lab her whole life. She heard footsteps running up the stairs. _Well, on with the show_.

          But it wasn't guards she saw. It was the Kid in full garb. She frowned. Now she was sure that someone's bound to notice them.

          "Mouri-san!" Relief flooded his face when he saw the girl before him. "We gotta get out of here,"

          "What?" Ran's eyes widened.

          "Bomb." With that, Kid grabbed her hand and started to drag her up the stairs.

          "But, the exit's that way," Ran argued as she started to run after the thief, indicating that the exit is on the first floor.

          "Mine's that way," Kid replied motioned upwards without breaking his stride.

          "Don't we have to warn the workers in here?"

          "I'm not even sure that the bomb's going to explode soon."

          "What?" Ran almost stumbled as she had stopped suddenly. But since Kid was still holding on to her, she was violently jerked forward.

          Kid steadied her in time. "I don't want to stay and find out. Do you?" He then continued running.

          _Well, can't argue with that._ Ran followed Kid.

          "Plus I have a bad feeling about this." Kid admitted.

          Finally, out of breath, the two reached the rooftop. 

          That's when the explosion hit.

          "No!" Ran cried as she started back towards the building, her instinct was to save who she can.

          But Kid grabbed her hand. "It's too late now," he told her softly.

          "We should've warned them."

          "They would've had us locked up before we can utter a single syllable."

          Suddenly, the whole building shuddered.

          Kid cursed as he once again dragged Ran to the edge of the building. "Hold on to me," he instructed as a white hang glider magically appeared.

          Ran did as she was told. She squeezed her eyes shut as Kid suddenly jumped from the building. She felt sick to her stomach._ What kind of people puts a bomb in their employees' workplace? For them to just end people's lives just like that._ She shed tears for the wretched people who were still inside.

          And suddenly they were flying.

          Or hang gliding.

          Whatever.

          Ran was just glad that they were safe.

          "What's happening?" Ran demanded. Immediately after she and the Kid touched the ground, he had pulled her to the shadows. She was about to get out of her hiding place and go to the car when Kid held her back. 

          She saw Sonoko crying at the backseat of another car, and then Yoshke being wheeled into a waiting ambulance. _Blood_.

          "Yoshke-kun," Ran's voice got caught in her throat.

          "We found some detonating device and chemicals at the backseat of the convertible," one of the men in the scene was saying. 

          "Probably planted." The woman he was talking to replied. "Possibly for the police. Lay the blame for the bomb on a disgruntled ex-employee, who in turn was killed by his accomplice."

          "Miyagi's assignment," another man joined in their conversation. "Let's bring the two to the hospital and then contact the boss."

          Simultaneous closing of car doors were heard. After that, the place where they parked the convertible was once again empty.

          "Why didn't you let me talk to them?" Ran asked the Kid.

          "I don't trust Miyagi."

          "Why not?"

          "He kidnapped your father."

          Ran was silent for a moment, looking like someone just hit her on the gut.

          "I was looking around the neighborhood the day after the heist. Saw your dad getting out of the agency. Since I wasn't able to locate you, I decided to follow him. Then I saw Miyagi in disguise." Kid shrugged. "I knew it was him. I've been around wigs and make-ups long enough to know the fake from the not."

          "You're lying," Ran gasped weakly. Tears started to fall from her eyes. First Yoshke and Sonoko and now this…

          "Believe what you wish." Kid looked away, not wanting to see her breakdown. "I know what I saw."

          Ran straightened her shoulders suddenly. She wiped the tears from her face. "No. I trust Miyagi. I've placed my life in his hands before, and he never let me down, not once. If he did kidnap my dad, then he must have his reasons." She then reached into her pocket. "And we have a job to do."

          "A job?"

          Ran nodded. "I only saw Yoshke-kun and Sonoko." She brought out a small black box. "Whoever detonated the bomb and hurt Yoshke-kun had probably taken Kazuha-chan."

          "You know where _they_ took her?" He didn't need to say out loud who _they_ were.

          Ran grinned. "Tracking device, don't leave home without it."

          Ran held on for dear life. She thought she heard the Kid's laughter rang in her ears. But with the wind practically shouting in her ears, she couldn't be too sure.

          Kid gripped the handlebars and went even faster.

          _He is so enjoying this,_ Ran thought in dismay.

          In order to go after Kazuha, Ran had searched for the motorcycle that they had hidden in an alley. They had it as Plan B. Good thing too. _This_ was plan B. After arguing who gets to drive (they both wanted to), she finally relented so that they could save time, but that was before Kid admitted that he never drove a motorcycle before.

          Good thing then that the motorcycle was, like the rest of their equipment, ultra high-tech. It was computerized through and through. Ran had slipped in the microchip of the tracking device into a slot and immediately, the small screen attached to it displayed the shortest route with the least traffic. All the Kid now was to rev the engine and keep the two of them balanced. The motorcycle can even detect movement and barriers around it. 

          No wonder the Kid found it cool and demanded that he drive.

          "Mouri-san, the bike's slowing down," Kid shouted over the din. Weird, the wind was noisier than the sound of the motorcycle. "Are we out of gas?"

          Ran frowned. The bike was electric, so that means… "No, it means that we're almost near." 

          "Oh," 

          Sure enough, they soon found a black car parked nearby. 

          Kazuha was outside with a man and a woman. 

          The woman was closely inspecting Kazuha. The woman was stripping Kazuha of her equipment.

          "Make sure that you get every bug and transmitter with her. We don't want them to trace our hideout," the large man was saying.

          "Honey, I know how to do my job," a redheaded woman replied to the man.

          "Looks like we came just in time." Kid stopped the motorcycle and helped Ran down. "Where do you think you're going?" He grabbed Ran who was walking over to the car.

          Ran looked at him weirdly. "I'm going to save Kazuha."

          Kid motioned to the large man. "He has a gun. Unless you spies are bullet-proof, I suggest we wait and watch for a while."

          Ran nodded. He's got a point.

          Suddenly, an idea dawned on her. "Hey," she said. "I've got a plan."

          Kudo's eyes narrowed. _Wait a minute, roses?_

          "What's this silliness, Vodka?" Vermouth hissed.

          Brandy laughed. "Heard that, Kazuha-chan?" Brandy asked. "Told you detective boy here loves you,"

          "What kind of sick game are you playing?" Hattori threw down the roses.

          Kudo noted that Vermouth looked as baffled as both him and Hattori.

          "Brandy! Vodka! What are you standing around for? Let's go!" Vermouth shouted as she started to run.

          However, she was grabbed by Vodka. 

"I believe you're not going anywhere." He said.

"What's the meaning of this?" Vermouth demanded. "Have you lost your mind?"

"I think he lost his mind a long time ago," 

"What?"

Three pairs of eyes turned swiftly towards the owner of the voice.

"K-Kazuha?" Hattori choked out.

True enough, Kazuha had stood up. She grinned at him as she wiped her face. The deathly pallor had come off. The nasty wound on her face easily peeled off. "Good work, guys."

"What's the meaning of this?" Vermouth demanded. 

Brandy suddenly tore off her red hair, revealing shoulder-length blond hair. "Thanks for your help, Kid."

"S-Sonoko?" Kudo wasn't surprised that Kazuha was alive. When he checked her pulse, it was very strong. Hattori would have noticed it too if he didn't get carried away emotionally. But Brandy being Sonoko… "And Kid?"

"In the flesh." With a puff of smoke, the Vodka disguise fell on the ground, revealing Kid, the Phantom Thief in all his glory.

Vermouth was handcuffed.

"Kazuha," Hattori whispered as he looked at his childhood friend. He then surprised her by enveloping her in his arms. "You're alive."  
          Kazuha allowed Hattori to hold her a moment longer, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. After all, she owed him that much. "So, you're not mad?" She asked meekly.

Hattori stroked her already-tousled hair. Then, he stepped back, but held her hand instead. "Ahou!" He shouted. "What were you thinking?" He then proceeded to heap verbal abuse upon her.

Kazuha was about to snap back when Vermouth started laughing.

And laughing.

And laughing.

It seemed like she can't stop…

          "So, what's your plan?" Kid asked eagerly.

          "You follow them for a while." Ran replied. "Observe their traits and mannerisms, that sort of thing."

          Kid grinned. "I can do that,"

          "Right." Ran nodded. "I'll go get Sonoko in the mean time," she boarded the motorbike. 

          "Wait, how am I supposed to follow them without the bike?"

          If Ran didn't know any better, she would've sworn that the legendary phantom thief was whining. "Well, you're a phantom thief, I'm sure you'll think of something,"

          "Oh, Mouri-san, before you go, hold up you hand." Kid said with a wolfish grin.

          Ran complied. With a puff of smoke, a small bag appeared on her upturned palm. "What's this?"

          "Pills." Kid replied gleefully. "Lots and lots of them."

          "Stop it," Sonoko told the woman as she covered her ears. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!"

          Kudo couldn't blame Sonoko. Vermouth's laugh was unlike anything they've heard before. It was disconcerting. 

          "What's so funny?" Kudo walked closer to the handcuffed woman, but not before eying Kid suspiciously.

          Kid shrugged as he relinquished control of Vermouth to Kudo.

          "You are," Vermouth snarled. "So here I was, planning a little trap for you. What I didn't know was that your friends planned a trap for me too." Her eyes sparkled dangerously. "This is getting fun," 

          Hattori's eyes glittered with anger. "I admire your courage under fire," he said. "But you won't get away. You'll rot in jail."

          Vermouth shrugged. "It'll be worth it. We'll still win in the end."

          "What happened while we're away?" Ran asked and hour and a half later as she squatted beside Kid, Sonoko right beside her.

          "They took Toyama-san inside." Kid replied. "I would've gone in, but I had to wait for you."

          "Let's go in," Sonoko suggested, still holding on to Ran.

          When her friend walked in the hospital room, Sonoko thought she was seeing a ghost. It took a while of explaining before Sonoko would even consider that Ran was indeed alive. And even then, Sonoko held on to her hand like any moment now, someone would drag the brunette away.

          "Kazuha's in a room on the third floor." Ran told Kid.

          Kid frowned. "How did you know? They took off her tracking device."

          "No, they took off the tracking device that was meant to be found." Ran told him. "You never wear just one tracking device."

          "So where did she hide it?"

          Ran grinned. "She swallowed it."

          "She did what?"

          "Swallowed it." Sonoko repeated matter-of-factly. "We all did. Even you."

          Vermouth shrugged. "It'll be worth it. We'll still win in the end. And don't even be too sure about me rotting in jail."

"What does she mean?" Kazuha whispered to Hattori.

          "Wait. There's something amiss," Kudo absentmindedly stroked his chin. "I assume Vodka and the Brandy girl are in your custody,"

          Sonoko nodded. "Ran knocked them out just as they entered the room to torture Kazuha."

          Hattori subconsciously squeezed Kazuha's hand. "We now have Vermouth, so who else is missing?"

          "Gin," Kudo replied grimly. He shook Vermouth. "Where is he?"

          "He's now halfway to your little friend," 

          "That's your real plan. To lure us here so that we'll leave Haibara unprotected." Kudo glared at her. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go save her,"

          "What's your hurry?" Vermouth asked as she dug her feet on the ground. "You're not the only one with Plan B, you know." 

          They all looked quizzically at her.

          "I've also taken some _precautions,_" Vermouth shoved Kudo out of the way.

          "How did you get out of your handcuffs?" Hattori screamed at her as he pulled Kazuha protectively behind him.

          "Actually, it's easier than you might think," came the Kid's reply.

          "Shut up," the two detectives told him off as they glared at Vermouth warily. 

          Vermouth then pulled out a gun of and shot upwards.

          "What are you doing?" Kudo growled as the ceiling cracked and dust began falling down, choking them and momentarily obscuring their vision.

          Vermouth held them off by pointing her gun in their direction.

          Moments later, about twenty Men in Black had entered the premises. They surrounded the teenagers. They were caught, unable to save their friend.

          Vermouth laughed yet again.

          Gin walked calmly to the residence of one Professor Agasa. 

          After so many months of being denied it, revenge was now within his grasp.

          He saw a car parked near the gates. He frowned. Good guys. Gin could smell them even a mile away.

          He crept stealthily towards the car. He noted that there were only two men inside. He almost smiled as he adjusted his hat. That was good. He then screwed on the silencer of his gun.

          When he passed by the car, he pointed his gun inside. Almost simultaneously, he pumped two bullets in vital points in the men.

          The two were dead even before they knew what hit them.

          It didn't even take him ten seconds.

          Tomorrow, the police would be baffled as to who could do such a thing.

          Gin was a clean worker. He left no evidences except for the dead bodies and the bullet shells. He dares even the Great Mouri Kogoro to find him out.

          He then walked casually to the gate and rang the doorbell. 

-tbc

P.S.

The part where nobody wearing just one tracking device and swallowing them came from Michael Crichton's _Congo_. I highly recommend reading it; the book's much better than the movie.

P.P.S.

If some parts seem unrealistic, I would ask you to suspend judgment for a while. After all, this is an alternate universe. But I hope you enjoyed it! Haven't killed any of the main characters yet. I might next chapter. Who knows?


	16. FaceOff

Disclaimer:

sigh If they were mine, I wouldn't be so bummed about them taking DC off free TV…and no cable channels here show it either.

A/N:

Two more chapters to go…

I can see the light!!!

And I'm sure someone will flame me for all the laughing Vermouth is doing…but you can't blame me! I watched way too many soap operas for my own good. And in soaps, all the nasty female villains laugh (or cackles, whatever!) whenever things are going their way.

This would contain **violent scenes** so read at your own risk.

And please review. Ask me all the questions you want about the story (you know, loose ends and stuff like that) so I'd be sure to remember to include their answer in the concluding chapter. Because like Aerosmith, I don't wanna miss a thing.

Please don't judge me too harshly for what I did in this chapter…I was **compelled** to write it, I didn't have any choice in the matter. Please, oh, please understand!

Oh, yeah, I dedicate this chapter to the birthday celebrant, **Joey** (Feb 28)! Hope you had loads of fun today and hope you like my gift. I was looking for a VCD of Black Dog (the first movie we watched together, in case you don't remember) but I can't find any. Hope what I gave would compensate.

I decided to post it today instead of my usual Friday afternoons because I have a make-up class tomorrow that I totally cannot ditch. 

YunCyn:

Thank you, thank you. Sorry for confusing you. Sometimes I even confuse myself. Chapter 15 didn't turn out exactly the way I originally planned it (originally, Ran was supposed to be B**ran**dy in disguise, even planned on cutting her hair), but I needed her for this. I'll save the hair cutting for later (as in later fics). And I suppose, it's better this way, more exposure for the blond loudmouth (I like Sonoko. Because if there's one DC character that I can relate with the most, it's her—loud, boy-crazy, nosy, teaser, gossiper…now if only I was just as rich!) And I did have some good news last chapter, Kazuha's alive and kicking, neither tortured nor bruised. But, I cooked up something really nasty for someone…

Bluedetective:

Don't shoot! I'm sorry, but there are some things that need to be done for the sake of the story line… I **can't** promise you that nobody's going to die.

Thank you for reminding me of Makoto. I almost forgot about him (notice that I failed to write him in after Kid disguised himself as Makoto). So let's just pretend that he was found later, dazed and confused. I'll try and write him in for next chapter.

You do have your email address in your profile, right? I'll email you as soon as I post something SD, don't hold your breath, though. And I won't be writing any yaoi or yuri, don't have any experience in that department, I might offend someone. And I don't want to pair Maki with an OC because he's MINE! ;) Too bad they didn't finish the entire anime in AXN. I was soo looking forward to it. But right now, I'm watching Filipino-dubbed reruns of it on the local network occasionally.

Good luck on your monthly exams too. Believe me, I know the feeling. So, I'll **try** and post before March 10. I'm almost finished with the last chapter!

Minako:

Nice to see someone who likes Kogoro too! Most people hate him because he takes all the credit for Conan's success. But I say better Kogoro than another guy! I mean can you just imagine if Kogoro's not there and Conan would have to use another man (younger, let's say 17, good-looking, etc) take the credit? And what if that guy has the hots for Ran? Hmm…sounds like a great idea for another fanfic…

And about the Kogoro**x**Eri, I'll **try**. If I post a Chapter 18, then the two of them are definitely going to be there.

And once again, you've impressed me with how perceptive you can be. My answer to your Kid-Miyagi question would have to be in Chapter 11 where Kid was able to identify Kazuha, Ran, and Sonoko. You're right; the Phantom Thief did his own investigation. From what little I know about the Phantom Thief, I figured he was the type who would want to know his enemies before plunging into something. He goes into a heist very prepared, so I would assume that he's a master of weaseling information from obscure sources. He was masquerading as Makoto, therefore he should know the persons Sonoko were associating with, and Miyagi was certainly associating with Sonoko's best friend, right (visiting Ran in her house, talking to Conan, we all know that the Phantom Thief is keeping an eye on the miniature detective)? So he knew about Miyagi.

Ok, here we go…

**Chapter 16:**

Face Off 

          Vermouth was laughing like the demented being she was.

          Kudo gritted his teeth while Hattori tightened his hold on Kazuha. 

Kid knew that if it was just him, he could easily give them the slip. But he was with four others. Even if he was a thief, he does not dessert his companions.

          Suddenly, Sonoko laughed.

          Vermouth abruptly stopped laughing. She glared at Sonoko. 

          Sonoko snorted. "Do you really think that you've outsmarted _our_ organization?" She crossed her arms.

          "Explain yourself, Suzuki-san," came Vermouth's cool, commanding voice.

          "No, let me," a deep voice interrupted.

          One of the Men in Black had stepped forward.

          "Miyagi!" For the first time, Hattori was actually glad to see the guy.

          "How could he stop me and my men?" Vermouth grinned maliciously as she pointed her gun at Miyagi.

          "Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Miyagi told her confidently.

          "Why not?"

          "This is why not," Miyagi replied.

          About three-fourths of the Men in Black had stepped back. Some pointed their weapons at their fellow Men in Black, others at Vermouth.

          "We've been slowly but surely infiltrating your organization, Vermouth," Miyagi said. "Here in Japan, majority of your operatives are actually _our_ agents. It's only a matter of time before we get to the very top."

          But Vermouth wouldn't be defeated. "You could jail me, but you'll never bring the life of your friend back."

          "Oh, we've got that covered," Sonoko told her airily. 

          "Ran," Kudo began to grin.   
          "No!" Vermouth screeched. "She's dead! She was in the lab when it exploded!"

          "Of course not!" Kid replied gleefully. "I saved her life,"

          "You!" Vermouth glared at him. "What do you have to do in any of this?"

          Kid shook his head as he grinned maniacally at her. 

          "Tell your men to put down their weapons, Vermouth." Miyagi commanded her.

          "Never!" Vermouth screamed as she fired her gun. However, the only thing that came out of it was a yellow rose. "What?"

          "Oh, I took the liberty of playing with your gun when you weren't looking," Kid told her.

          Soon, the Men in Black who were loyal to the Black Organization were cuffed. 

          "She can get out of handcuffs," Hattori warned Miyagi.

          Miyagi grinned at him. "Don't worry. We use specialized handcuffs. The more they struggle, the tighter it becomes. I dare even the Phantom Thief to get out of it."

          Kid looked at it with interest. "Maybe next time," he said. "Shouldn't we be helping Mouri-san right now?"

          "Who is it?" Professor Agasa opened the door quizzically. There was no one there. _But I could've sworn that someone rang—_

          He didn't even have the time to finish his thoughts as he suddenly fell down, limp as a rag doll.

          Beside him, Gin grinned. After hitting the elder man on the head, he was out like a night-light. Gin smiled. _She's near._ He entered the house, dragging the professor inside so no one would see him.

          _And now, let the games begin…_

One by one he searched the rooms of the house. It was only a matter of time before he finds her.

          And find her, he did. She was in the basement turned laboratory.

          Gin grinned to himself. "Hello, Sherry,"

          "Where's the nearest place we can land on?" The pilot shouted over the din.

          "Tentai Elementary School. They have a soccer field there." Miyagi replied loudly.

          Right after the arrest of the Men in Black and of Vermouth, Miyagi immediately called for a helicopter to bring them back to Beika.

          "How soon can we get there?" Kudo asked.

          "Ten minutes," the pilot replied.

          _Ten minutes._ Kudo's mouth was set in a grim line. _Then it'll be a five-minute walk to the Agency, less if we ran._

          Hattori placed a comforting hand on Kudo's shoulder. He knew just how his eastern counterpart was feeling. He then gazed tenderly on the girl sleeping quietly in his arms despite the noise of the helicopter. "Ahou," he whispered to her softly, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hear. 

          Huddled to his left was Sonoko, trying desperately to contact Ran, but to no avail.

          _Ran,_ Kudo's eyes squeezed shut in a silent prayer. _Keep safe, you idiot. I know you wouldn't let anything happen to Haibara._

          "She'd be dead by now," Vermouth told them.

          Kudo glared at her. He didn't understand why Miyagi absolutely insisted to take that woman with them instead of leaving her with his companions' custody. But Miyagi claimed that Vermouth was too smooth for his men and that they were the only ones who could take care of her.

          Of course, just to make sure that she wouldn't escape, the Phantom Thief had taken great delight in wrapping her up, literally with giant colored ribbons and bows.

          She looked ridiculous, of course.

          He looked proud and even beamed when Kudo called him an idiot. Then, he bowed and told everyone that his work there was done, and to wish Mouri-san good luck for him. And with a puff of smoke, he was gone. 

          Kudo seethed. One of these days, that Kid was going to get what was coming to him…

          "Hello, Sherry,"

          Blue eyes swiftly turned towards the doorway, and then flitter to other parts of the room in a desperate search for a way out.

          "So, we meet again," Gin smirked evilly. "Finally, I can do what has been denied me for so long." He then raised a gun and pointed it to Ai.

          Ai turned pale. She closed her eyes, knowing that she had come as far as she can. This is it, the end…

          "Ai-chan, run!" A high-pitched voice shouted.

          Ai's eyes flew open, in time to see Gin and Ran tumbling down the stairs.

          Ai froze, unable to do anything except to watch in horror.

          At the bottom of the stairs, the two adversaries sprang apart, the gun knocked out of Gin's grasp.

          "You!" Gin lunged at her.

          Ran tried to duck, but she miscalculated. After a few moments of useless struggle, Ran was now being held by Gin, her back to him, his arm around her neck while the other one was snaked around her waist.

          "It'll be too easy to break your neck," Gin snarled. "Watch your friend die, Sherry."

          "I admit I underestimated you," Ran interrupted. "But it seems like you overestimated yourself." With that, she brought her head violently backwards into Gin's face. 

A sickening crunch was heard, Gin's nose being the pitiful target. 

          His grip on her loosened as he inspected the damage. Blood ran down his nose and dripped to his chin. "You bi—"

          But Ran wasn't finished yet. She kicked Gin's right knee as hard as she could.

          Gin fell down in pain, further damaging the knee. As his head dropped down, Ran immediately made it snap back up with a kick.

          He groaned in pain.

          "Let's go!" Turning around, Ran grabbed Ai's hand and together, they ran out of the room.

          They were already out of the house when a gunshot was heard. It was pretty nearby so Ran whipped around to see where it came from.

          It was Gin, a bit bloody, but totally in control.

          "Not so fast," he snarled at them. Once again, Ai found herself at the loosing end of a loaded gun.

          "That man is not human," Ran muttered. Normally, all her kicks would've taken down even the strongest wrestler in the world. But here was a guy taking it in stride.

          Of course, Ai knew that Ran stood no chance. While it was true that it was Gin who was the brains in the Gin/Vodka partnership, that doesn't mean that he was a pushover. On the contrary, he was quite skillful. He was trained to ignore pain and inflect them in the worst ways imaginable to his enemies. Ran was right. He was not human. He was a monster.

          Ran pushed Ai out of the way as Gin fired another shot. Ran then lunged at him and grappled with the gun once more.

          With a kick, the gun went flying out of the man's hands.

          Ai saw that now that Gin was on the offensive, Ran was having a tough time. Blond hair contrasted with brown in close combat.

          Ran knew that if this keeps up, she would be dead soon. Her endurance was running low. She knew that Gin wasn't even winded.

          _If I survive this, I swear I wouldn't complain if sensei keeps me in practice even after session hours._ Ran winced as Gin's elbow slammed into her back, causing her to stagger. _Great. A new bruise to add to my collection. Now I can add a backless dress to add to my list of clothes that I can't wear anymore._ Another kick to her hips. _Focus girl. Keep your mind on the fight. And when all else fails, cheat!_ With that, Ran quickly reached into her pocket and brought out a canister of tear gas. She then proceeded to spray a generous amount into Gin's face.

          "Ai-chan, let's go!" Ran shouted as she ran towards the small figure.

          But either she didn't really hit Gin on the face, or Gin was tougher than she thought. Already, he had found the gun he had dropped earlier and was aiming for her.

          "Ran!" A desperate voice screamed.

          "Shinichi?" Ran gasped as she heard a gunshot.

          "Raaaan!"

Police cruisers were everywhere. 

          The night had fallen and the sky was illuminated with blue and red.

          There were ambulances, too, but they were long gone. One to bring in Professor Agasa. He was fine, but for a concussion. One was to bring her. 

Kudo saw how the paramedics reacted when they saw the body. They may not say anything but he knows how to read faces. He knows that it was hopeless. His heart constricted in pain and helplessness. _If only he came a minute earlier…If only he told everyone the truth immediately…If only…_Heck, there was a lot of _if only's_, and they always end up in one thing—that she'd still be alive…

What happened afterwards was a whirlwind of activities. He didn't even notice that the blood on his shirt had already dried up.

Vermouth and Gin were taken in. 

          Miyagi had promised the police that they would surrender Vodka, Brandy, and the rest of the men that they have caught.

          Kudo caught the figure of the now tired Eri Kisaki talking to the police. He knew the two of them would have a talk later, a long, tiring talk. 

          As if sensing that someone was looking at her, she turned around and caught his eye. She forces a smile.

          _It's over now. It's finally over._ A solitary tear fell out of the detective's eye, unnoticed. _But what a high price we, no she, had to pay. She paid the highest price of them all…_

What had happened was now etched in his mind forever. Unmercifully, the scene unfolded before him once more…

          "Ran!" Shinichi screamed as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

          "Shinichi?" Ran gasped.

          "Raaaan!" A high-pitched voice, that of a child, had screamed as she lunged forward and tackled Ran's legs to move her out of the way.

          Shinichi let out a prayer of thanks as he saw Ran fell down, away from the bullet's course. 

          But then, there was a second gunshot. And this one had found its target.

          "Ai-chan!" Ran cried out as she caught the tiny girl in her arms. Shinichi was beside her in a second.

          "Ran!" Kauzha screamed, a gun in her hands. She shot Gin, her aim true.

          Gin went down.

          Hattori whipped around to face her. "You're water gun," he said weakly.

          "Get him!" Kazuha ignored Hattori's comment. "My gun's non-lethal. He's still alive!"

          Hattori sprung to action immediately. He ran to Gin to tie him up and to make sure that he will not be able to get away. "What kind of spy carries non-lethal guns?" Hattori grumbled as he grabbed the fallen Gin. The man was unconscious but breathing. _Tough luck. _He immediately cuffed the man with Miyagi's special handcuffs. 

          Sonoko and Miyagi were trailing a few feet behind, with an uncooperative Vermouth.

          Sonoko gasped when she saw Ai. Miyagi whipped out his cell phone and called for help.

          "Kudo-kun," Ai whispered softly.

          Ran was openly crying. 

There was blood everywhere.

          "Don't talk, Haibara," Shinichi touched her cheek gently. "No, not Haibara. Shiho," He corrected himself. "Save your strength, help will be coming soon."

          Ai placed a hand on Shinichi's. "It's nice." She smiled. "Hearing you call me Shiho. I never thought I'd see the day."

          Ran was now trying to stop the bleeding with her hands, tears upon her face.

          "It's too late, Mouri-san," Ai coughed weakly. More blood came. "Take care of him, OK?"

          Ran shook her head. "It's Ran. Call me Ran," she insisted.

          "I'm sorry," 

          "Shiho." Shinichi called out. "Shiho, wake up."

          "Ai-chan!" 

          Kazuha's eyes were also streaming with tears. Heiji enveloped her in his arms.

          Sonoko looked away, wiping tears in her eyes.

          Vermouth and Gin grinned evilly.

          A few moments later, two ambulances arrived, one to take Ai, the other for the professor, whom Hattori heard groaning from inside his house. 

          Their small group had a few minutes to compose themselves before the police arrive.

          "Ran," Miyagi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

          But Ran shrugged him away. She gave him a slug. "You!" She shouted. "You lied to me!"

          "What?" Miyagi staggered backward as he clutched his chin where Run's fist connected with his face. "When have I lied to you?"

          "My dad!" Whereas Ran's face was pale before, it was now livid with rage. "Where have you taken him?"

          "Your dad?"

          Sonoko tried to placate her friend as Hattori and Kudo had stood up and tensed in the possibility of facing a new enemy.

          "Don't try to act all innocent with me," Ran spat out. "Kid saw you take my father,"

          Slowly, a grin appeared on Miyagi's face. "I guess this is it. You finally found me out." 

-to be concluded

P.S.

The moves I've described when Ran was 'beating up' Gin was what I learned in my self-defense class. A **public service announcement **for young women out there: if you're being harassed, use the first thing God has given us for protection, our voice. SCREAM! Ask for help. Also use your legs, RUN! 

If you were the position Ran was in, do the same thing. Use the back of your head to pound your attacker's nose. Your head is much more harder than his nose.

If you're face to face, kick him on the knees, not on the groin. A kick on the groin is easier to evade. A kick on the knees will cause the attacker to fall down, causing further damage.

If you're much closer, then try poking his eyes with your fingers. I know this sounds gross and all, but well, it's either that or your life.

And once you were able to land a blow at your attacker, don't cease to attack him until you're satisfied that he's dead, uh, I mean, until he won't be able to run after you anymore.

Of course, carrying pepper spray is a much more convenient solution, only don't be so trigger-happy about it.

But don't attempt anything if your attacker has a gun. 

However, I don't know how practical all of these are in real life, as I've never been attacked (except by my brothers). All I had practice with was with my instructor (and even then I was too busy drooling, uh, I mean, perfecting my kicks).

And I was told that the most effective weapon of them all is prayer.

Keep safe!

P.P.S.

Next chapter, bluedetective's questions will finally be answered. Who is Miyagi Ken?


	17. Debriefing

Disclaimer:

Not mine. Never was. Never will be.

A/N:

Yeah!

This is my last chapter of sorts, but I'm still planning on adding one last one, sort of a bonus chapter. This chapter will (hopefully) tie all loose ends such as who on earth is Miyagi Ken and why the heck Kisaki Eri was mentioned in the last chapter. And also I would explain why the ambulances took Ai and Professor Agasa separately, and why didn't the bodies of the two men Gin killed were found.

Also, the Spy Girls say thank you and good-bye to the Kid, the Phantom Thief.

If you want mush from me, then wait for the next chapter. _Hopefully_, I'll be brave enough to post it. It's just that…._ewww_! I like reading mush. But writing it is another matter. 

Also a **warning**: as much as I wanted my fic to be canon, I'm afraid that it is not. I had to bend some rules (and some characters along with it) a little to fit into my plot. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I have not read any DC, except for what is available for me on the web and I have not exhausted all of it. So if the characters are OOC or if I've written something that is not up-to-date, I give my apologies, then. But don't say that you have not been warned.

Bluedetective:

Before you shoot your bazooka, I strongly suggest you read this chapter first. You're in for a treat. Got your email, I'll contact you once I made my decision. I'm sooo looking forward to seeing Slam Dunk II… and I like the Filipino dub, it's really silly, but it tends to differ a bit with the subs and the English dub. I really like Hanamichi's voice in the Pinoy dub, it suits his personality.

Unfortunately, I don't have a MSN messenger. I do have a yahoo messenger under my email (Genghis_khay). Plus I'm swearing off the Internet for a while, with finals coming and all. But maybe we could hook up later, our summer vacation's just around the corner. Hope to hear from you again!

YunCyn:

Thanks! This is the end; you don't have to wait too long…posted three days after I posted the previous chap! Yeah! It's over! It's over!

**Chapter 17:**

**Debriefing**

"Good morning," Ran entered the room tentatively as she walked towards the occupied hospital bed. "How are you doing?" With sure hands, she carefully arranged the flowers she had brought to replace the old ones on the table by the bed. 

          Her companion gave no answer.

          Finally, unable to hold herself back any longer, a tear fell down her cheek. "I'm sorry," she sat down on the chair beside the bed. "I'm really sorry," 

          The only reply she got was the beeping sounds that the machine sustaining the person's life made.

          She tenderly stroked his cheek as her cries gradually subsided. She then took a pale hand in hers.

          "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you," she said, hoping against hope that he could hear her. "I should've been there for you, I should've known better than to leave you alone." She bit back a sob. "I also want to thank you, for being there for me when I needed you. I couldn't have done it without you,"

          Behind her, the door opened, unnoticed. Quietly, Kudo Shinichi, formerly Edogawa Conan, came in. He saw her and the figure lying in the bed. He leaned on the doorway, not wanting to disturb them.

          "When you wake up," Ran began again as she hastily wiped a tear from her face with her free hand. "When you wake up, I wouldn't be here anymore. They're taking you somewhere far away, to a safe place where they can take care of you. I'll miss you, but it's all for the best you know. Because even though we captured Gin and Vodka and Vermouth, it's not over yet. Their people here in Japan are crippled, but they're still alive. It's not safe for you here." More tears stream down her face. "I know you would've wanted to be there when they finally fall."

          Kudo's heart wrenched. He admits that he never really liked the guy, but he didn't deserve this, no one does.

          "About Ai-chan," she sobbed. "She's gone now. I just returned from her funeral." She swallowed before continuing. "And I know I let you down, but I promise you one thing. If ever you need me, if ever you get in trouble, just call for me, and I'll be there." She now held his hand in both of hers.

          Kudo was worried. Since that fateful day, it seemed that all Ran did was cry… 

"Anytime you want your Sweetie, I'll be there," she sniffled. "I'll be there, Yoshke-kun. I promise."

After a long while of silence, Kudo finally cleared his throat, indicating his presence. "Hey,"

Ran turned around and gave him a small smile. "Hey yourself,"

He closed the distance between them.

Ran gazed back at Yoshke. "I guess," she began. "I guess I was just saying goodbye." Then, the tears came hard and fast.

And for the first time in a long while, Kudo Shinichi, the Great Detective of the East, was able to comfort her in the way he wanted to…as her Shinichi, not as her _little brother_, Edogawa Conan.

          Miyagi Ken grinned as he boarded the plane. He was now off to England. His real name _was_ Miyagi Ken, but he was leaving it behind. _Leaving, but not killing, at least not yet._ Who knows, there might come a time when he would need it again. But one thing he does know. He would never be Akai Shuichi again. He was lucky to get off so easily…

_          "Don't try to act all innocent with me," Ran spat out. "Kid saw you take my father,"_

_          Slowly, a grin appeared on Miyagi's face. "I guess this is it. You finally found me out." _

_          Ran adopted an offensive stance._

_          Miyagi threw his arms upward as a sign of surrender. "Don't blame me, blame her!" _

_          "Who?" Sonoko frowned as she looked at where Miyagi was motioning. "Vermouth?"_

_          "No," a voice had joined in their conversation. "Me," a slim, beautiful woman had appeared calmly taking in their appearance, even the blood on Ran's and Kudo's clothes._

_          Ran's eyes widened in shock. "M-mom?"_

          "How was your trip, Nigel Holmes?" 

          Nigel Holmes, formerly known as Miyagi Ken AKA Akai Shuichi, grinned at the screen. "It was rather uneventful, sir." He replied as he once again stared at the silhouette of his boss, seated behind the big desk before the fireplace, as usual. 

"Good," the man said. "Good. You deserve a break. I'll contact you when I need you."

          "Yes, sir," with that, Nigel Holmes turned off the line.

          "It's nice how things turn out," a feminine voice squealed.

          The boss turned off his voice-changing apparatus.

          Someone turned on the lights, revealing the slim form of Kisaki Eri seated behind the big desk in front of the fireplace. 

          Contrary to popular belief, the head of their spy organization was not a man, neither a computer program. It was the famous lawyer, Kisaki Eri. But no one was supposed to know that, except the two people she was with that moment.

          "You're right," Eri smiled at the woman who squealed earlier. The computer monitor in her office showed a picture of Mouri Ran, Toyama Kazuha, and Suzuki Sonoko.

          "Kind of reminds us of us during our younger days, right?" The person who turned on the lights walked up to the desk and sat down on one of the chairs opposite Eri. "Nice to know that someone's now filling our shoes."

          Eri took the champagne bottle on her desk and poured it in three glasses. Her companions picked it up.

          "To the Spy Girls!" Kudo Yukiko, the former master of disguise, held her glasses up in a toast.

          "And to the original Spy Girls!" Kuroba Fumio, the former electronics expert, giggled as she, too, raised her glasses.

          Eri, the martial arts expert, laughed as the three of them drank the champagne, in remembrance of their adventures, and in anticipations of new ones with the new generation of spies.

          Who would have known that the Kisaka Law Firm is but a front of their organization?

          Certain not the head's daughter…

_Ran's eyes widened in shock. "M-mom?"_

_Eri grinned at her. "I take it Miyagi hasn't told you our family secret."_

_"Told me what?" _

_"She was once like you," Miyagi interjected._

_"Kisaki-san?" Sonoko gasped. "Wow,"_

_"I-I don't understand," Ran frowned._

_"Your mother used to be like you, Ran-chan, a spy." Miyagi replied for her._

_"Great," Ran muttered. "Does everyone I know have a dirty little secret?" She asked angrily._

_"Don't be angry, honey," Kisaki Eri smiled gently at her daughter. "At least now, you wouldn't have to do _too_ much explaining to the police. After all, you teens now have your counsel,"_

_And true enough; the police had begun to arrive._

         "Hey there,"

          Kuroba Kaitou had just exited the school gates when he saw someone got down a black limousine that was parked there. 

          It was Mouri-san. Behind her, Suzuki-san and Toyama-san stepped down.

          Kuroba froze. 

          His classmates who walked with him had stopped when she had uttered her greetings, the males especially. A collective murmuring arose, speculations who were the beautiful strangers who were rich enough to ride a limo. And more importantly, what were they doing, talking to Kuroba? Probably asking for directions, though heaven knows, he wasn't the correct person to ask.  
          Kuroba pondered whether or not it was rude to just ignore them. Getting involved in his private life was not part of the deal.

          "Kuroba-kun, remember us?" Mouri-san asked with a toss of her glossy mane.

          "Kaitou, you know them?" Ran saw a slightly smaller girl with long, wild dark hair ask him. 

          "Yes," Kuroba replied with a frown. "I'll just see what they want, you guys go ahead."

          Sonoko noted that the girl with wild hair and another exotic-looking beautiful girl look at them suspiciously before stomping ahead.

          "Why are you here?" He asked after making sure that they now have privacy.

          "You never gave me the chance to thank you for saving my life," Ran told him. She smiled at him (causing a chain reaction to the male students who were watching them from a distance).

          "And to assure you that your secret is safe with us." Sonoko grinned (this time, some male students vowed to learn magic, if only to impress the ladies).

          "And to give you this," Kazuha handed Kuroba a diskette (Kuroba was now officially the most envied, and hated, student on campus. Imagine, having Miss Nakamori as a best friend, Miss Akako as an admirer, and then add in three mysterious and drop-dead gorgeous females).

          "What's this?" Of course, for the Thief, business was business. He chose to remain oblivious to the dagger-looks he was receiving on his back.

          "It's a file about the Phantom Thief." Kazuha replied.

          "So you're turning over all the files you have about me,"

          Sonoko laughed. "Of course not. What do you take us for? We'll need it if ever we meet each other again."

          "So what is this for?"

          "It's about the original Phantom Thief." Kazuha replied.

          Kuroba paled. "You know."

          Ran nodded. "He worked with the original Spy Girls, at least that's what they told me. Even then our organization had been clashing with the Black Organization. Seems like they've been here for a while now. They've got their hands on everything: drugs, computers, murder, piracy; you mention it, they do it."

          "And your work is not over yet," Kazuha told him. "You still have to search for the Pandora Gem. After all, the Black Ops are still alive and kicking,"

          "But if ever you need help, don't hesitate to call us," Sonoko said.

          Kuroba gripped the diskette tighter in his hands. Another link to his father. "Thank you,"

          "No, thank you," Ran smiled sweetly at him.

          "But what about you?" Kuroba asked. "Would you be safe?"

          Ran grinned at him. "We have people in the organization, Kuroba-kun." She said. "As I've said, our organization had been encountering theirs for a long while now. My mom thinks that we have enough to bring them down in a few months' time. In the mean time, they'd be too busy dealing with the rest of us, they wouldn't have time to bother with three meddling teens."

          "And we all know that you won't make their jobs easier, either," Sonoko added with a wink. 

          "We better go. I don't like the looks those two girls are giving me," Kazuha grimaced as she went back to the limo.

          Ran waved and followed after Kazuha.

          Sonoko smiled mischievously at him. She quickly kissed him on the cheek before he could do anything. "Bye!" She called out as she boarded the limo.

          "Hey! Kuroba!" Hakuba Suguru called out. "Wasn't that Mouri-san, the Sleeping Detective's daughter? And the one who kissed you was Suzuki-san, the daughter of the millionaire from Beika, wasn't it?"

          "The blond?" A feminine voice inquired, her voice crackling with tension.

          Kuroba winced as the diskette in his hand magically disappeared. He knew he would have a lot of explaining to do.

          Kudo Shinichi groaned as he felt someone shaking him violently. "Five more minutes, mom," he pleaded. His eyes flew open when he heard someone giggle. "Ran?"

          Ran placed a finger to her lips, indicating to him that he kept quiet.

          Shinichi grinned foolishly at her.

          It had been four months since their confrontation with Gin and Vermouth. 

He and Ran had talked things through and decided to take their relationship slowly, one day at a time, but they had been inseparable. 

Hattori and Kazuha, on the other hand, was now officially a couple.

However, they don't talk much about the girls' part time job by mutual agreement. But the girls did lay low. They only did those things occasionally now. If the detectives didn't knew better, they could've sworn that the girls had stopped their spying completely. Or maybe they had just gotten more discreet about it.

"We don't want to wake up Hattori-kun," Ran motioned to the man sleeping on the other bed.

The four of them (five if he counts Sonoko) had passed their second year of high school. Shinichi almost didn't, but thanks for his good memory and keen attention to details (not to mention his panicked cramming); he was able to pass the finals. And all of them would be seniors come the next school year, which would be in a few days.

So they decided to spend their last week of freedom on a beach.

"I'll wait for you outside," Ran grinned at him. "I have a surprise for you,"

Shinichi happily hummed a tune as he searched for his shirt and pulled it on after finding it, excited at the prospect of spending every waking moment of their vacation with her.

When Shinichi rambled outside from the bungalow they were renting for the week, he noted that the sun still hadn't risen. _She probably wanted to watch the sunset with me_. Well, he was amenable to anything she wanted to do, as long as she did it with him. He'd never take her for granted again.

Ran took his hand the moment he reached her. "Let's go!"

Kudo's theory grew stronger as Ran dragged him on the shore. But his hopes of watching the sunrise alone with Ran quickly disappeared as he noted that there was already someone on the shore. "Maybe we could pick another spot to watch the sunrise, Ran," he whispered to her.

To his surprise, Ran shook her head firmly and began leading him to the person on the beach.

The person, a woman about their age, was ankle-deep in the water. She seemed to be relishing her solitary reflection.

"Ran, I don't think she wants some company right now," Kudo stopped walking and planted his feet firmly on the sound.

Ran turned around and gave him a look that sent him walking after her again.

Shinichi looked at the woman, hoping that she leaves once she realized that the newcomers wanted to be alone. 

The wind ruffled the woman's blond hair. She then turned around and met Shinichi's eyes.

Kudo's jaw dropped open as realization hit him. "Haibara?"

The woman laughed. "You've said my name quite beautifully the last time we've seen each other, Kudo-kun,"

"B-but how?" 

Ran pulled him closer to where Shiho was standing. "It's all thanks to the Phantom Thief." She laughed. "Did you know that he broke into the armory of the Black Organization and toyed with their guns a bit?"

"So Shiho wasn't really hit?" Shinichi felt his knees go weak. _Shiho was alive._

"I'm here, aren't I?" She laughed. Shinichi thought that it was the first time he heard her laugh. "But for the first time in years, I finally feel free! They think I'm already dead. They saw me die. I have a new life now. I'm not looking over my shoulders anymore."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded, the first few sparks of anger beginning to get in his eyes. It all made sense, Miyagi's insistence that Vermouth be there to witness the confrontation, the refusal to bring Ai with Professor Agasa in the same ambulance, the guilt in Ran's eyes whenever they talk about Ai. And he considered himself a detective…

Ran saw this and prevented the anger from multiplying further by giving his hand a squeeze. "Because it was _his_ wish." 

"His?"

Shiho indicated to a faraway bungalow to their left. On its porch was a shadowy silhouette of a man.

"That's our client," Ran explained. "He wanted for us to bring down Gin and save Sherry."

"Why?"

"He was my sister's fiancée." Shiho answered softly. "He's not with _them_. But he met my sister. They fell in love. But my sister broke it off when they found out, but her loyalty was questioned. And then, she—"

Shinichi nodded. Her sister died at Gin's hands.

"He's rich," Shiho told them. "He hired detectives but he still couldn't find out what happened. That is, until he stumbled upon Ran's organization. And the rest is history." 

"Is it just my eyes, or did Yoshke just stepped out of that bungalow with your benefactor?" Shinichi squinted.

The figure that just stepped outside stumbled. The other man caught him just in time.

Ran laughed. "That's Yoske-kun, alright."

Shinichi made a sound of disapproval with his throat as his hand snaked around Ran's waist possessively. He turned back to the blond before him. "How are you?"

"He's been taking care of me, Kudo-kun, me and Yoshke-kun." Shiho replied. "He said he promised my sister that if anything happened to her, he'll take care of me."

Ran briefly touched Shinichi's hand to her lips. "I'll leave the two of you to catch up." With that, she untangled herself from Shinichi and walked away from them to give them privacy.

          "So, where's Kudo-kun?" Kazuha asked. 

          The sun was just rising, and everything was just perfect.

          "Occupied," Ran replied. "He now knows Shiho-chan is still alive, so I think they're just catching up." 

          "And you're not jealous?" Sonoko teased, but there was panic in her voice. "Are you sure this is the spot?"

          Kazuha nodded as she looked down from the cliff. Waaaaay down.

          "Where's Hattori-kun?" Ran asked.

          "Sleeping," Kazuha grinned. "He'd probably stay that way until noon or if someone wakes him up, whichever comes later."

          "Why couldn't the helicopter drop the parcel in a less dangerous spot, like in the park or in a rooftop of a mall? Why does it have to be down a cliff?" Sonoko didn't like the dangerous drop she was seeing before her. She felt dizzy just thinking about it.

          Ran grinned. "I guess they thought it'd be more fun that way."

          "OK, OK," Sonoko grumbled. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner we finish, the sooner you can be with your boyfriends,"

          "Well, you just wanted to fly back to Beika immediately," Kazuha said, turning the tables.

          "Because _Makoto-chan's _going to be there," Ran imitated Sonoko's voice.

          "You're getting better at that, Ran," Kazuha praised her. Then, she giggled as they saw Sonoko's red face.

          Makoto had come home the week before, triumphant in his quest for the championship. And during the victor's banquet, he publicly gave his medal to Sonoko before asking her to become his girl. Sonoko, red-faced but moved, accepted this proposal. They had been together since, barely spending two minutes apart from each other. 

          "Ran-chan, since Sonoko-chan's in a hurry, what's the quickest way between two points?" Kazuha asked.

          "A straight line, of course," Ran replied.

          Sonoko didn't see the mischievous grin Ran and Kazuha exchanged. She didn't see the agreement wordlessly formed between her two friends. Therefore, she didn't see two pair of hands shove her down.

          Sonoko's bloodcurdling scream was heard for miles all around.

          Then the two girls sighed in relief as Sonoko's ridiculously hot-pink parachute opened.

          "Let's go?"

          "Lets!"  
          With that, they jumped down after Sonoko to their newest adventure.

**~End~**

P.S.

Oh, I feel good! You know that I do now. So good, so good… 

P.P.S.

OK, last minute explanations…

1. The Akai/Miyagi thing…

          A mysterious man was shown in the manga following Conan around (or something like that). Ran also saw him and she found him to be familiar. So I decided to integrate that with the story. In _my_ universe, he was following them around because he was checking Ran out as a possible operative (read chapter 4). 

          Therefore, **bluedetective**, the answer to your question is that Miyagi/Akai is good. He kidnapped Mouri Kogoro because the latter was endangered. If he weren't kidnapped, he would've been hurt/killed/taken by the Black org. Remember that the detective agency was ransacked (in search for the Pandora Gem and maybe for a hostage). And Miyagi was under the command of the ex-wife.

2. The missing bodies of the operatives

          There were no bodies found because there were no bodies at all. It was a set-up to get Gin to relax his guard a bit. Remember that The Phantom Thief had messed with the armory of the Black Org during his stint there as Vodka. Gin's gun was a fake. It wasn't able to kill anything.

 3. Kisaki Eri - Kudo Yukiko – Kuroba Fumio

          Don't mind this much. This is just me having fun. I thought, why not? It's my farfetched story. Might as well go all the way. So I decided to make them the original spy girls.

4. Ai/Shiho/Sherry

          She's alive! Gin's gun was a fake. It was all a set-up to get her out of the Black Organization's eye. 

          She and Professor Agasa were taken separately because Prof. Agasa was taken to a hospital while Ai was taken to _the client_.

          Sorry, but it's the only way I know how she could totally be free of the Black Organization.

5. The New Spy Girls

          They're now full-pledged spies! Miyagi was their trainer, and after the events, he determined that they were now ready to take on the world by themselves. Miyagi went to England to take a short vacation and to scope out newer prospects.

6. The Black Organization

          No, they weren't able to take out the Black Organization completely. From what I understand, the BO has many arms…even if they defeated one side, it would most probably regenerate itself, so Yoshke-kun had to be hidden and Shiho to be _killed_. 

7. The Phantom Thief

          Well, his adventures continue…

P.P.P.S.

Next chapter, **if** there will be a next chapter, I would attempt to illustrate Ran and Shinichi's talk that they would take relationship one at a time. I will also inlcude **exactly** how Heiji and Kazuha became a couple…but I'll probably do it after finals na. OK, 'till my next fic (if at all)!


	18. Ran and Shinichi

Disclaimer: 

sigh from the beginning until the end, I don't own anyone, nor anything.

A/N:

Hey! Right now, I'm supposed to be studying, as my finals starts tomorrow, but I can't keep away. I wrote this story right after I wrote the last chapter of Spy Girls, so I decided to post it. sigh two weeks to go before FREEDOM! Wish me luck on my exams.

YunCyn:

Glad you liked it. Kazuha-Heiji to follow, maybe in two week's time? =) 

bluedetective:

I'll IM you as soon as my finals are over. I'm just sneaking Internet time behind my friend's back. I'm supposed to be studying our country's civil code right about now. And yeah, I think Fumio's Kaito's mom. I read that in a fic somewhere…and yeah, I purposely neglected to write about Shiho's _brother-in-law_. ;) Because of you, a SD story is now swimming in my head, but I don't have time toy write it down just yet, I want to, but I can't.

Erika:

Ei, kababayan, thanks for the review. I don't mind that you kept saying it over and over again…I like to ego stroke. Thank you for adding me to your favorites. Nice to find a fellow Pinoy who also loves DC. ;)

**MUSH ALERT!**

This takes place after Ran visited Yoshke in the hospital. Shinichi is now walking her home. He still doesn't know that Ai's alive.

Shinichi and Ran 

(dedicated to Det)

          Shinichi stole a look at the quiet brunette walking beside him. 

          She was quiet and withdrawn all the way from the hospital. As usual, he worries about her.

          When they were about to cross the street, Shinichi automatically reached for her hand.

          Ran turned to him in surprise.

          Shinichi blushed. "Uh, sorry!" He babbled his apologies. "Habit," he tried to let go of her hand. But to his surprise, she didn't and instead, grasped it tighter.

          "It's OK," she whispered. "I think this is exactly what I need right now," 

          Shinichi nodded. "Uh, right," 

          They walked in silence until they reached Ran's house. Shinichi was about to go in when he realized that he's not Conan anymore, he can't stay with Ran.

          Ran gave Shinichi's hand a squeeze before letting go. "Thanks," she said as she made her way inside without so much as looking at him.

          _I have to tell her now._ Firming his resolve, Shinichi followed Ran inside. He's finally going to tell her what he feels…

          He got inside just as Ran was taking off her jacket, leaving Ran in a sleeveless top.

          A gunshot would on her shoulder was revealed. So were the various scrapes and bruises she collected the past months.

          "Ran!" Shinichi called to her in shock.

          Ran turned around. When she saw Shinichi, she immediately jammed the jacket back on her shoulder. 

          "Ran," he said softly as he reached her. He gently tugged the shirt off her shoulders and traced the wounds on her body. "What have you done to yourself?"

          "It'll disappear in a few weeks," she told him.

          "Gunshot wound?" He asked as he tenderly touched the bandage. "No wonder you stopped wearing sleeveless tops," he blushed. "Not that I noticed or anything,"

          "You're taller now," Ran changed the subject as she turned around to face him. She was surprised that she now had to look up to see his eyes.

          Shinichi grinned, as he now had to look down to stare at her eyes, those deep, dark, fascinating eyes. Those chocolate brown eyes that he could drown into, if he was not careful. Those eyes that seem to hold mysteries even he cannot fathom. Those eyes…

          "Shinichi?"

          Shinichi mentally shook himself. "Yeah, well, it's to compensate for looking up at you for all these months. Waaay up."

Ran giggled, and Shinichi felt immense relief at that sound. They were on their way to being OK.

"Well, that and the fact that I'm now two years older."

"Really?"

"Ai's new formula," Shinichi's eyes darkened as he remembered his friend. "Her formula ages the body by three years. I took four dosages,"

Ran saw the pain and sadness in his eyes. She released his hand, to his dismay. But he soon found himself engulfed in a warm, comforting hug.

"R-Ran," he choked out as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to draw strength and comfort from the woman before him.

He was glad that no one was there to witness his breakdown; the Sleeping Detective was with his ex-wife, much to Ran's delight.

She allowed him to hold her for as long as he needed, knowing that the past year had been harder for him than for the rest of them. And to loose his co-conspirator, his confidant, his friend…_I'll tell him about Ai as soon as I can._ She rubbed his back comfortingly, familiarly.

After a few moments, he drew back. "Thank you." He told her quietly. "I needed that."

She gave him a smile that almost knocked him senseless. 

He released her and took her hands in his. "Ran, I need to tell you something,"

Ran glanced up quizzically at him.

          "This past year, it's been hard, for the two of us." He began. "And I realized one thing, Ran. It's about how I feel about you. Ran I lo—"

          But she took one of her hand from his and used it to silence him. She shook her head. "No." She said. "Not yet. If there's something I learned from what we went through, it's our immaturity. We both need time to grow up (no pun intended). We both kept secrets from each other, big ones. I don't know if I can trust you yet, so I don't think I'm ready for what you have to say."

          Shinichi was pained, but he understood. He took the hand on his lips, kissed it, and placed it on his heart. "I'll do as you wish and not say it yet. But if there's anything I learned the past year, it's _carpe diem_. Seize the day. I don't know if I can contain it within me for too long."

           "Let's take it slow, Shinichi." Ran smiled sweetly at him. "After all, we do have the rest of our lives before us,"

          Shinichi nodded, unprepared to deny her anything.

          _But I will tell you one day, Ran. But until that day you're ready to hear me, I'll be at your side._


	19. Kazuha and Heiji

Disclaimer: 

Reminder people,  I don't own nothing.

A/N: I had a hard time writing this chapter because I went sour with the idea of guys for a while because of RL. Argh! Men! Can't live with them…hmp, you know the rest. Hoo, boy. 

**Spoiler alert! **Oh, yeah, recent developments relayed to me thru yahoogroups informed me that Jodie Saintemillion and Vermouth are not one and the same person sweatdrops Well, this is fan_fiction_, right? And this is the joy of alternate universes. **End of spoiler.**

This story happened between chapter 16 and 17. ;)

Kazuha and Heiji 

(dedicated to YunCyn)

          "Toyama-san, catch!" A merry voice called out from outside her window.

          "What the—" Kazuha gasped as something wrapped in a white handkerchief was dropped into her hands. She was in her room, catching up with her schoolwork, when a noise outside prompted her to investigate through her window. She glanced outside and saw a figure in white moving away from her house at an incredible speed. She grinned. She should've known. She unwrapped the parcel, already knowing what was inside. An emerald the size of a child's fists, the object of the Kid's latest heist, the thing that her dad, Heiji, and Hattori-san were supposed to be guarding in the house of a prominent family.

          Careful not to touch the emerald, she rewrapped the thing. Now what does she do with it? 

She can't exactly leave it somewhere and hope someone finds it.

Giving it to her dad and Hattori-san was out of the question, since it would bring up inquiries she would not want to answer such as, how did the emerald get to her? Did she know the Kid? Why did the Kid give to her?

          So that leaves Heiji. Kazuha grimaced. But that idiot was mad at her. They were fine and OK back in Tokyo, but the moment they stepped in back in Osaka, he conveniently remembered that he was mad at her for hiding something as big as her part-time job from him. Great. Just great. _I'll get you for this, Kid!_

Kazuha yawned. She glanced at the clock guiltily. It was way past her bedtime, yet she barely made a dent in her homework. 

          The stone would just have to wait until tomorrow.

          An hour or so later, Kazuha heard her father come in their house. 

          She grinned. Her dad was trying to be as quiet as possible. Months ago, she wouldn't have heard a thing, but thanks to Miyagi's training, she was now able to tell who was going in their house and even infer the mood that person is in, simply by the noise the person makes.

          And right now, her father is not in a very good mood, that was for certain. But she didn't even use her special training to figure that one out. All it took was one glance on the offending parcel on her study table.

          Kazuha decided it was time for a cookie break.

          "Dad?" Feigning sleepiness, she slowly made her way outside her room. "You there?"

          "In the kitchen, honey," came the tired reply.

          She walked blindly to the kitchen without turning on any of the lights, as was her habit since she was small. She saw her father in the lighted kitchen, slumped on a dining room chair, looking very defeated.

          Kazuha felt her heart break. "What happened, daddy?"

          Her father looked up and smiled at her. "It didn't go very well," he admitted. "But I'm just glad to be home,"

          Kazuha returned her father's smile. "I'm glad you're home, too," 

          "Come here," her father held his arms open for her.

          Kazuha obliged him by sitting on the chair beside her father's and wrapping her arms around him. It reminded her of her childhood, when she would sit at her father's lap whenever the monsters under her bed would come out and scare her. She sighed contently as she felt her father return the loose hug. She resisted the urge to run into her room and simply hand her dad the emerald.

          "Burning the midnight oil, honey?" Her father's deep voice asked.

          "There was a conspiracy in school between the teachers to give out book reports at the same time." Kazuha replied, her voice muffled by her father's chest. She felt it rumble when he chuckled.

          "It's probably your fault for taking a week off," he reprimanded her.

          "It was official school business!" Kazuha retorted defensively. At least, that was the story fed to her dad and the school authorities. Well, in her defense, her little trip to Tokyo was for anything but pleasure.

          "Speaking of your little trip, did Heiji find you there?" He asked. "He took off as soon as he learned that you went away,"

          Kazuha nodded.

          "Did something happen in Tokyo?"

          Kazuha frowned. Her father wasn't dense. She had to be careful.

          "Ever since the two of you came back, I haven't seen him at all. Usually, he's either here, eating us out of house and home, or he's walking you home from his house,"

          "You just saw him in the house you were guarding," she corrected him.

          "Ah, but he wasn't there, honey."

          "What?" Kazuha pulled back a little to see her father's face. "What do you mean, he's not there?"

          "He wasn't there," her dad repeated. "Even Hattori-san was surprised that his son wasn't there to catch the Phantom Thief. No one knows where he is. His mother called after the assignment, a little frantic about her baby boy,"

          Kazuha frowned. "He's probably doing his own personal investigation." She said slowly.

          Her father didn't look convinced.

          "Heiji,"

          Heiji neary jumped out of his skin when he heard his name being spoken. He whipped around. "Kazuha? How did you find me here?"

          Kazuha held out a small device. "Ken-kun bugged you and Kudo-kun so that we'll know where you are. It'll take a few more days before the bug gets out of your body."

          Heiji grimaced and turned his attention back to the scenery before him. He had taken his motorcycle out for a ride that day, trying to clear his mind and he lost track of time. He wanted to get away from everything. The Phantom Thief's appearance made him remember about Kazuha's own night job, and that in turn, reminded him of that fateful day when he thought Kazuha was dead and he was tricked into confessing his…

          "Wow, you could see the city from here." Kazuha attempted to bait him into a conversation.

          Heiji didn't bite.

          "Your mother's quite worried about you," she tried another tactic.

          Heiji still ignored her.

          Kazuha suppressed a groan. She would rather have him scream and shout insults at her than suffer through his cold shoulder. "Oi, Heiji, are you listening to me? The Kid got away tonight. Why weren't you there?"

          Heiji ignored her. 

          "Are you mad at me?" Kazuha asked.

          Nothing. 

"Ken-kun is about to leave in a few days, can you believe that?"

          Still nothing. 

          "Sonoko now has a steady boyfriend, believe it or not,"

          Still nothing.

          Kazuha decided to annoy him into a comment.

          "They're transferring Yoshke-kun to another hospital soon, you know?"

          The wind ruffled Heiji's hair, but he still refused to comment.

          "I just finished reading _To Kill a Mockingbird_. I'll be doing a report on it next week." 

          Nope.

          "I have the emerald the Kid stole tonight,"

          No response.

"Do you know that I'm in love with you?"

          Revelation ignored.

          "I just had a pop quiz in math this morning."

          Not even a sigh.

          "I'll be training in handling a sword next month."

          Still no comment. Kazuha stifled a frustrated scream. "Ahou!" She shouted, her temper getting the best out of her. "You told Sonoko-chan that you love me. You're not supposed to ignore the one you love, you know!" She was about to turn around and ride her Firm-issued motorcycle, when a movement from Heiji stopped her.

          "Ahou!" Finally, an angry response from Heiji, but a response nonetheless. "You ask me if I'm mad at you, what do you think?" 

          The two of them where about a meter or two apart, facing each other, bodies and minds tensed for a confrontation that was sure to follow.

          "Ahou!" Kazuha snapped back. Finally, they were back on familiar grounds.

          "You are such an idiot." Heiji's eyes blazed with fire. "I thought you were dead back there, Kazuha, how did you think that made me feel?" He took a step closer towards her.

          Kazuha's heart softened. But she would rather continue their verbal assault than tread unfamiliar grounds. "You're the idiot, Heiji. If I didn't do that, we wouldn't be able to set into action all our plans!" She, too, stepped closer to him.

          "It's not you I'm mad at, Kazuha, it's the whole situation we are in!" This was punctuated with his hands combing through his hair and a forward step. He then sighed. "You know what, forget about it."

          "Well, I don't want to forget about it!" Kazuha snapped, stamping her foot in frustration before stepping forward.

          "What?" Heiji grubled. "Ahou! What do you want from me?" Another step closer.

          "You said you love me, Hattori!" Kazuha shouted at him, they were now face-to-face. "I don't want to forget about that."

          Heiji's eyes opened wide in surprise.

          "Did you mean it when you said that, when you said you love me?"

          It took all of Heiji's courage to look her in the eye. "A while ago, you also said that you love me," he shot back challengingly, sidestepping the question.

          "Well, love forgives, Hattori." Kazuha said softly, unable to look away from his gaze. "Would you forgive me, then?"

          And suddenly, they were kissing.

          "I really am sorry, Heiji," Kazuha whispered softly as she laid her head on his shoulder. The two of them were now seated at the ground beside each other, pretending to be admiring the view, when in reality, they were both adjusting to the new development in their relationship that they had just unwittingly took.

          "Ahou," but this time, the word was spoken affectionately. Heiji slowly, tentatively, placed an arm around Kazuha's shoulder. He was half-afraid that she would deck him and call him a perv, but to his pleasant surprise, she snuggled closer to him instead.

          "You really should be getting home. Your mom's worried about you, you know,"

          "Do you really want to leave now?"

          Kazuha sighed in content. "Not really," 

          "I think that worrying her for ten more minutes wouldn't kill her."

          "Heiji!" Kazuha gasped in shock.

          Heiji chuckled. "I already called her before you found me," he admitted.

          "So I went all the way here for nothing," 

          He grinned conspiratorially at her. "I wouldn't exactly call this nothing," he said before kissing her quickly on the cheek.__

          Kazuha grinned back briefly before turning her face towards the skyline. "So what are we now, Heiji?" She asked him softly. "I used to introduce myself as your friend who looks after you like a big sister. You're my best friend, my partner-in-crime. But this," she gestured helplessly at the two of them and the position they're in. "I like to know where exactly I stand,"

          Heiji took a minute before answering. "You are my best friend, Kazuha. And you do look after me like a big sister _sometimes._" 

          Kazuha rolled her eyes.

          "Alright, most of the times," he amended. "But as for partner-in-crime, I think that I have just been replaced." He grimaced. "But you're also the love of my life, the sunshine in my day, the icing on my cake, the syrup on my pancakes, the apple of my eyes, the air in my lungs, the wind beneath my wings, the—"

          "I got it, I got it," Kazuha interrupted him before he got any cornier.

          Heiji grinned. "What I'm trying to say before I was rudely interrupted is this," he paused for dramatic effect. "Toyama Kazuha, would you be my girlfriend?" He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

          She threw her arms around him. "Hattori Heiji, there is nothing I want more in the world!" Kazuha then frowned as she pulled back. "Wait a minute, don't I get flowers and chocolates and stuff first?"

**End chapter rant:**

I really needed the father-daughter interaction before the waffy scenes to remind myself that, yes, there still are good men in the world (oh, advance happy father's day and happy birthday to my dad). 

Ooh, I used a lot of clichés here…

Next chapter, Sonoko and Makoto.


	20. Sonoko and Makoto

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. A/N:    Hey. I know it's been long…too long. I kinda lost steam once they (the evil powers that be that control the programming in TV stations) pulled Detective Conan off the air. 

But, what the heck. Let's do this.

This happened sometime between chapters 16 and 17, I think.

I'm not sure if I would be able to write another bonus chap, but I'll try my best. But if channel 7 re-airs DC, then, goes into Arnold Schwazenegger mode I'll be back ^^.

Warning…Severe OOC warning. Meet the new Sonoko…

Makoto and Sonoko 

(dedicated to bluedetective)

These were the stuff dreams were made of.

It was a scene straight out of fairy tales.

The hotel was full of beautiful people in beautiful clothes.

There was dinner. And music. And dancing. And champagne. 

And wearing her new gown, her hair styled to perfection, Sonoko knew she was exceptionally beautiful. And she felt like a princess.

The only thing ruining her perfect night was the fact that her prince was nowhere near her.

A familiar laughter reached the golden-haired girl's ears as she filled her nth cup of punch.

It was Ran. Sonoko bit back a groan. Even Ran was with Shinichi. It seemed like that she was the only person in the room without a date.

But it wasn't.

She had a date.

In fact, this whole party was being held in honor of her date.

"Congratulations and welcome back," she read the banner hung near the entrance of the ballroom.

Japan's national team had finally brought home the trophy that they all worked hard for.

Sonoko was deliriously happy for Makoto. 

**But** she was feeling ignored.

And Suzuki Sonoko was **not** used to being ignored.

She bit back an ironic grin.

Had this happened months ago, she would have been out for blood now, throwing a tantrum.

But she was not the rich and snobby Sonoko of months ago. The events six months ago had taught her a lot of things.

Like how to be patient, for one. She knew the rewards would be so much better if she waited.

And to put others before yourself.

Tonight was for Makoto, not about her.

And if she had to fill a thousand cups of punch tonight just to pass time, she would do just that.

She almost giggled. Man, if her mom could hear her thoughts. She would never believe that such deep musings would come from her youngest child.

Scoop, lift, and pour. Sonoko had the act of pouring punch in a cup down to a science. She placed down the latest cup she filled. Scoop, lift, and pour.

"You're not enjoying yourself," a deep voice whispered in her ear.

Surprised, Sonoko suddenly threw a punch.

"Whoa!" Only the boy's quick reflexes saved him from having a shiner. He easily caught her hand.

"Makoto-kun!" Sonoko's face scrunched up in apology. "I'm sorry, it's just that you surprised me and—"

Makoto grinned sheepishly and scratched his head. "I probably deserved that,"

Sonoko's hands subconsciously went to Makoto's neck, adjusting his bowtie. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, I've been a lousy date." 

Sonoko shook her head. "It's your party. Of course you'll be busy working the crowd." She smiled at him to let him know that she doesn't mind.

"It seems that your left-across isn't the only thing that changed," Makoto returned her smile. "You've changed, Sonoko-san,"

Sonoko blushed. And for the first time in her life, she was rendered speechless.

"May I have this dance?" Makoto asked.

Sonoko grinned. "Yes, you may."

Makoto led her to the dance floor. Once there, he tentatively wrapped his arms around her as they started to sway to the music.

Sonoko encircled Makoto's neck with her arms and laid her head on his chest.

They moved in companionable silence.

"Sonoko-san?" Makoto asked a moment later.

"Hmm?"

"Er," Makoto began awkwardly. "The team's on a break. We're going to stay here for a while,"

Sonoko pulled away so that she could see his face. "Really?" She didn't even try to contain her excitement. "That's great!" She gave him a hug.

They moved in silence once more.

Sonoko sighed. These were definitely the stuff dreams were made of.

"May we call team captain Kyougoku Makoto on stage please?"

Sonoko stiffened as Makoto reluctantly released her. She should've known that such moments with him couldn't last.

Makoto looked at her apologetically. She smiled at him and waved him away.

But she supposed it could be worse.

He could be stuck in a body of a seven-year old who's pretending to be just friends with her… Oh, wait. Sonoko smirked. That was Ran's story.****

Speaking of Ran, the karate-expert had disentangled herself from Shinichi to move by her side.

The organizers of the event had asked for Makoto, as team captain, to make a speech. He began to thank the people behind the event and the karate team.

Sonoko was only half-listening to the whole thing when she felt Ran elbow her sharply. She forced herself to listen.

"And most of all," Makoto was saying. "I would like to thank a special woman who means a lot to me. She was my inspiration. She was my reason for training. She gave me the strength to win." He smiled as his gaze locked with Sonoko's. "I know that I have been a awful friend to her, but still, she waited for me with the patience of a saint."

Sonoko blushed.

"Sonoko-san," Makoto looked at her seriously.

Sonoko's breath got caught in her throat. Her heart was beating erratically.

"It's no secret that I like you," Makoto bravely plowed on. "It was only recently, during the insanity of the tournaments, when I realized just how much. I know now that I love you."

Sonoko gasped.

"And I know that I don't deserve you," Makoto took a deep breath. "Suzuki Sonoko, would you—" Makoto faltered. But he took a deep breath and bravely plowed on. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my girlfriend?"

Tears began to stung at Sonoko's eyes. She then realized that the whole room was waiting for her answer. She began to vigorously nod her head. "Yes, Makoto-kun," she breathed. "I love you, too."

A smile dawned on Makoto's face as he leaped down from the stage towards Sonoko.

The crowd clapped. Ah, to be young and in love.

Later, wrapped in Makoto's strong arms as the two of them swayed to the sweet music, Sonoko affirmed that great things definitely come to those who wait.

But she was wrong. This wasn't the stuff dreams were made of.

This wasn't a dream.

This was real life.

And that made everything a million times better.

**P.S.**

Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes. It's 1.30 in the morning and I wrote this thing in less than an hour.


End file.
